Shade

I stood in gold

dipped in the sun’s river,

burnished by its radiance,

a tan that turned ashen

within the chambers

of my heart.

 

In the shade

stood a man,

gray shabby threads

draped over his body,

yet his pallor face

revealed a sapphire

of a serene smile

my glazed glow

had never known.

Hide my poverty flinches

while I left to visit

the treasury of counterfeit stars.