heritage? a legacy? a culture? 

boundaries of walls drawn to the unity of you

a culture through colors of the future and past.

through colors- the connections of being in tune with cultural harmony with floods that occur 

 

a dragon who flies is a dragon who controls and conquers 

__

 

red. 

the term that can hold power within someone 

the red envelopes that hold the wealth and good 

 

i cannot be lucky, im not wearing red, they said. 

the string that tightens those takeout bags 

getting strained to a point

it looks no longer in raw form — its tied around the goods for the family 

 

the seeing of no evil or bad thoughts 

the seeing of only good within

 

you need to wear red, for good luck she said. 

my dress was full of red and gold for the new years- 

strapping against my body but portraying the luck and fortune for the newcoming 

__

 

i see him i see the tail and back of red and yellow 

only his body full of spikes 

he is flying away into the moon seeing me from below in the black 

he is holding the envelopes, he is holding the good news of the night 

the wealthiest dragon in sight having the highest power within the tightest of his grip

 

green. 

to be healed or to not be healed 

 

the luck of the jade has brought for me

the sadness yet clarity it saw.

the years of great freedom and healing.

 

i see him in the field, jumping up and down the earth's surfaces of lush

he flies away, he says he is going to come back later 

the necklace on his neck wrapping the healing he needs to get home 

__

 

we don’t talk to them anymore- she gave me that jade. 

it broke during a speech — in class 

the fear that the healing i gained would flee like her. 

 

the happiness in his eyes as he takes off away from the green 

 

white. 

the innocence is seen as this power that hides within the color that is so light 

dressed in white dresses and white flowers as a young kid 

__

 

she tries on a dress for her family, its too white she says jokingly.

im not pure enough. 

 

portraying a young innocent and pure soul within the cleanliness of the colors, 

the feeling of above rather than below

 

oh, are you getting married? they ask.

 

black. 

the authority of the pain of death 

 

why are you wearing black? they ask

 

the evil within the colors that hidden aspect of one's disappearance 

he flies away past the black to the yellow of the land in between

he disappears 

 

are you still pure? they ask you as you are wearing white and black 

__

 

the smell of incense- and food - and flowers 

 

the tones of blacks forming in lines as respect was taking as a family 

or alone if you came alone

 

the black and white 

for power and royalty 

the angles of are you pure or not? will you ever be pure 

the constant strain of the family lines brings you further in the practices 

__

 

entering this colorful world that became a massive percentage of greys, blacks, and whites - 

it had brought clarity and balance to how i saw my race and culture

the only black at funerals never more never less - 

the dress coding never became more prominent towards your personal lifestyle 

the phrases of anyone being engrained in your head to learn or fight towards 

 

i remember first learning about the meanings of these

how it all had these hidden symbolisms that showed deeper reasoning in terms of bringing more within the chinese cultural harmony -

the colors of the clothes i wore during my years at chinese school 

being educated by the language but also the color coordination in terms of my conformity within my culture 

 

the end had not been the end i was just the start of a new balance that you had to scale upon 

when you think the scale is equal

a sickness that had bound the world had secluded you and who you are 

in a dark rain cloud of faults of this coloring book of a society