The Color of a Violin

I remember when you once told me
That you heard colors
That you saw sounds
You said songs were leaking
From the colors in paintings
And for you,
It was
The faded watercolor
Could sing you to sleep
I saw a pink sunset on the canvas
Where you heard your favorite melody
You would tell me to hear beyond the orange
To taste past the yellow
I would see the perfect shade
Of Maya blue
I could describe it as a color
That even the clear sky was jealous of
Oh, the seas would see the color
And they would send hell
Ha!
You would only laugh at me
Can't you hear the orchestra
The reds and yellows
Floating from the canvas
And into my ready ears
Eyes are for normal people
You can't look at a painting to understand
You have to taste the bitter-sweet sound
My cheeks would redden
And you'd only say I'm only making you taste wet paper
After so long
So, so long
I taste the morning paper
Only not when I get angry
But when someone mentions Minnesota
I can hear the orchestra playing
When I walk into the gallery
You have taught me
That I can see
With my ears
I can hear
With my mouth
I can taste
With my eyes
I now laugh when people look at paintings
And I ask myself,
How can they only use one sense
To understand a million words

-Apple