✨ Pink

grain of cherry wood...

Pink

The grain of cherry wood
and fresh split cedar, the chest
of sweaters in a brisk winter.
Instant notice: ringlet
flower girl, satin ribbon
to bell the cat, her damp tongue
lapping a pinch of salmon.
Pink mocks the waiting: the weave
of the bassinet in dim light,
wild roses climbing the porch.
Pink hops the sidewalk
on one foot, never lights
long: frivolous impulse, last
swirl of icing in the beater bowl,
creamy resolve, sweet bliss.
We cannot hold pink still.
The sky rolls down like an old
desk, mittens shrink, the tiny
hand that wraps a finger
finally closes the cushioned box.

—Carol Barrett

From The Color Wheel, Terrapin Books, Copyright © 2026. Used by permission of the publisher. Photo by Kien Do, Creative Commons, via Unsplash.