We bought paint for my new room,
green and white. Waves and wake
Mom said. But I wanted
screaming red
something that said
off limits, don't touch,
pushed back
and stamped
its feet.
Later, my walls swamped in green,
I dove into a flotilla of boxes
and recovered my sketchbook
pencils and pastels.
Marooned at my desk
I pulled out a crisp white sheet
and made a pennant
with my name
in crimson pigment:
Aileen.
Illustration by Krista Mason
Read by Karen Hakkarainen
