This morning, I pull up a canvas from a second-hand store,
a clown with sad face. It takes four coats

of white acrylic to overturn the stark, dark face.
I place it on an easel on the stone patio,

posed to capture the June Strawberry Moon,
but grey clouds get in my way. Such is this year.

Clouds everywhere. But I have yet to see rainbows,
so overcast the sky after each rain. I decide to dig

deep into my imagination to remember a free rainbow
and dip into violet, indigo, blue— my hand glides

higher with each hue to brush on green, yellow, orange
and red. Once dry, inside the orange, I paint a protest.

A love letter.