Fresh coat of paint,
need one for my walls
“Will an off white do?”
No it’s not as clean
“A lovely crème perhaps?”
No, my heart was never for crème,
it’s a lousy excuse for white
“Shall it be a lovely white then?”
No, white’s no longer appropriate
“a silver white then?”
No, I was never that holy,
maybe I will try black…
“What! Black walls for your house?”
No Sir, black walls for my heart;
maybe the black paint
will obliterate
those dirty fingerprints, handprints
of all the loves that went sour.
Lillian A. Aujo is currently finishing her law degree at Uganda Christian University Mukono. She is a member of FEMRITE, and The Lantern Meet of Poets–a group of young poets who meet every two weeks to share and critique poetry.