The Color Wheel

First the primary colors,

but which red— cadmium

or poppy, or Indian 

Cool or Hot

Opaque or transparent

Staining or granulating

Tending toward orange

or bending toward purple

Taking no chances I move on

to yellow 

and blue

And more choices 

I mix my red, blue, and yellow

to paint a color for my morning juice

or the grass after a summer rain 

or my grandmother’s favorite color—

purple and lavender and mauve,

Boysenberry, iris, and violet

I leave the wheel and mix

shades and tints and hues

and I see the music

of the universe