Werner’s Nomenclature of Color
breast of pied wag tail
back of nut hatch
fresh wood ash
tail of black cock
egg of largest blue bottle
junction of the neck
vest coverts
white of human eyeball
my heart does not know the words Werner has seen to apply to this
association my heart knows the touch of this color’s gentle resonance
as I watch it spill from the page
if I am lucky it will become the vision behind my eyes
if I am lucky I will have done my own translation
if I am lucky the brush tipped into the wash will color this world long after I step away