“The Color of Water”
I coast through bands of muddy water,
a reddish swarm
animalcula
exploding
the instant motion ceased,
crossing both ends
of matter
movement isolated
in a drop of water,
animals naked
covering a space
infinite
water stained red
but
ocean abounded
with living
and
from the land
narrow lines of water
a bright red colour
feed
on the discoloration
of water spawn;
the dark
and sinuous
colour of being
a colour
the putrefying carcase
floating
no great distance
This is a found poem from Darwin’s The Voyage of The Beagle, which I don’t necessarily recommend reading, but if you want to you can here. That’s why color has a “u” in it. Also, if you want to try erasure poetry this is the site this poem originated from.
