by Trishia Gail G. Fernandez

Before you map out
the exception;
to the exception;
to the exception;

Remember– there are over a hundred shades of black:
Midnight, charcoal, ebony, coal,
the shade of the ink staining the tips of your fingers
the color of the night when the lights start to flicker
While you contemplate all the different
permutations of black and white
Dawn breaks
The world outside is a hundred billion other colors