Crayons

Crayons

After giving my four-year-old a box
of crayons in sixty-four brilliant hues,
I ask her what colors she prefers.
She tells me she likes blue and green.
These are the colors of the sky and trees.

I point out the periwinkle, turquoise,
aquamarine, and cadet-blue as alternatives.
I lift up the forest, olive, spring, and sea greens
to compete with the green she's drawn,
but she overrules me.

Later, she shows me a blue-green stick-figure
standing in a field beside a tree
that looks like it's about to topple.
"That's you, Daddy!" she yells.

And I gaze at her hazel eyes wanting to trap
her innocent enthusiasm in my hug.
All too soon she'll be choosing drab shades
of sepia, salmon, raw umber, and maize,
without any guidance from me.