You can find occasional dabs of red
Or bright yellow, often a wildflower.
In August or September, perhaps
A pink Naked Lady, a Belladonna.
 
And you can search out some blue,
Although you won't find a shade
That can compete with the sky.
Which, today, gets darker overhead.
 
There's brown soil and bark, and
Sand by the lake and on the trails,
But no color on the preserve
Can compare with the greens.
 
On far horizons or next to the trail,
Evergreens don't seem to change.
In the fall, the green oaks may turn
Vivid red surrounded by verdant grass.
 
Perhaps you'll see a white serviceberry
Near a yellowish-green boxelder or
Blueish-green chaparral backgrounding
A black and orange butterfly on wing.

© by Kevin Arnold.
Used with the author's permission.