2 Horatio

Marlena Maduro Baraf
Farrow and Ball, “White Tie”
Paper white with a hint of yellow and a minor complication of
brown to bind it to earth. Used often for trim on houses, it takes
on a supporting role to vibrant hues and complex muted ones.
The Phalaenopsis white orchid, sturdy and bold, anchors the
sideboards in New York City model apartments with views of
the river. The coarse petals and sepals are shot with sparkles
like stardust. If you look at the underside you will see a blush of
mauve or pink and faint transparencies of the green of their bud
birth.
Daniel picks the white star studded orchid for the drama, the size
of the gesture that says I love big. I love you with flair. I am a good
guy. He loads the love with variegated purple varieties, blossoms
articulated with symmetrical fuchsia fingers and bloody throat.
What is the underside of a giant nautilus shell? Is it the flaky,
chalky exterior drying in the sun? Or the glossy intermittently
reflective pink of its mouth? Even the underbelly of a weathered
cement pot bleaches from grey to almost white on the inside
belly next to the old soil.
The years drip off my fingernails. We churn and become the
underside. And the other side, bold and transparent, supporting
and dominant.
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