Red

an apology.

for the children of Gaza, Sudan, Congo, the children killed in Iran, the children in the Epstein files, the children detained by ICE, and every other child forced to see the worst of the world through glasses that never got to be rose-coloured.

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i’m sorry for how the colour red was introduced to you.

that you shy away from it because it reminds you
of how the world failed you.

but red can be a beautiful colour

did you know,

that roses are red?
that they smell like hope, and represent love.

and ladybugs are red, tiny dotted creatures
as innocent as you.

strawberries are red, and they taste as alive as freedom;
so are watermelons, your sweet watermelons.

sometimes when the sun is setting
the sky looks red, various shades of it,
and it looks like a gift.

i’m sorry these things are not what you think of
when you see the colour red.

red can be a beautiful colour

but i’m sorry you had to see so much of it
in its very cruelest shade.