"What's your favorite color?"

The teacher used to ask

And for me I'd always answer - RED

I loved RED. I loved all shades

Of burgundy, cerise, and wine -

Deep crimson, burnt sienna, rose.

But why, you ask? Why RED? It's such

A blatant color. Try blue today.

Blue is gentle, cool and calm

Or green? The trees are green and you like these.

Why always RED, my dear?

The teacher often wanted me to try another shade

Yet nothing caught my eye.

I never really knew why then, but now I do.

You see Papa would creep into my room

At night, when all was dark

And hurt me, cause such agony

I could not bear the pain.

He'd go, as softly as the snow drifts down on moonlit nights

Tiptoe into the dark unknown

AND LEAVE ME THERE...ALONE!!!!

What had happened? Had I dreamt

Of something shocking, rude, so cold

It made me shiver, body wracked

With anguish and deep terror?

And then I'd look - and there I'd see

The scarlet on those crisp white sheets...

Stains of RED! - they told no lie

And through that RED the truth was clear -

Plain and true - REALITY!!!!

So RED began to speak of truth

Of pain so real, so crude, so vile

It brought me comfort in a way.

Long nail-scratches down my back,

Sores bleeding from a cruel blow

Or two or three or more...

That buckled belt - it had no name

And no-one saw it come or go

BUT I DID.

The sores did. The blood did.

RED SAW!!!!

I used to scratch my sores - still do

In fact somehow while RED scabs show

Their gnarled faces to the sky

I have some proof, some clear RED truth

Of pain endured.

My Jesus died on Calvary

And from his side and hands and feet

RED blood dripped too --- the truth for me

Of his great love poured out, emptied

Until he showed the whole world through

For all eternity

That his RED blood was meant for all!

His pain so real it gave to us

Health, cleansing, wholeness, freedom, life.

So ask me now - I'll say the same

That RED's my favorite of them all -

It says so much - for what it says

AUTHENTICATES REALITY!!!

Julie-Anne Wingate. Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.