Red, a burst of spice,

Burning softly against the tongue

Blue, a light fragrant taste,

Melding with other notes

Green, a rich pine flavor,

Extracted from the earth itself

Yellow, a sharp shock,

The most vibrant melon

Purple, deep and savory,

Like tasting temptation

Orange, a sour shot,

Acidic citrus exploding

.

I hear the possibilities, but I don’t hear words

I taste them on my tongue

and when I bite into strawberries . there are only red drapes coloring my mind

.

the kiss starts cold, tasting soft grey. muddy, hesitant, nothing is clear- a what are we doing? then moving closer, interrogating further a question what is this, the taste deepens to midnight blue– darker, more intense, concentrated. it’s a mess of emotions edged with silver curiosity; a glint of something in the dark, a there’s something here, do you want to dig deeper? the taste of darkness, in the midnight blue, is alluring tempting, you shouldn’t want this but you can’t help it. then a trip, movement not in synch, sudden teeth and– the taste is a sharp burst of fire-red; eyes snapping open, hands gripping tighter, a gasp of air and then eyes shut. teeth, a closer desperation. a solid, yes. they are in the back alley, pressing against a cold concrete blanketed in darkness. the kiss was a surprise, glint of silver; a sparked curiosity, an oh turning to muddy grey- a stop, hesitance, eyes half-open, a is this real? then tastes of dark blue, eyes closing, temptation and oh yes to a sharp-burning red, a sudden realization-. then, a wrenching clash of blazing fire– yes, yes god yes. a collision of emotions with a staggering force of a supernova, drowning in an eruption of colors,

pink-red-red-orange-yellow-white

then—

b l a c k

I can taste strawberry on your lips

Place my hands on your hips

I can hear a bee buzzing nearby

Fondling a flower to give up her goods

I feel the rays of the sun on my shoulders

Telling me everything is okay

I taste the salt of the sea as I sea the currents

Rip and repeat

I can only hear you while you taste me

Amber sunlight drips

Golden honey comb of light

Syrup-sticky lips

Sweet-tooth spoils my appetite

Crimson bowls of pudding

Bittersweet, metallic tinge

Leaves that drip as bleeding

Ooze from tree‘s green, veiny limbs

Fragile blossoms burst

My eyes cut fruit’s flesh like teeth

Quenching all my thirst

Blushing pink, joy as I feast

Slice the rainbow berry pie

Cool-whip clouds, each wedge

Assorted popsicles, I spy

Atop Horizon’s ledge

Water sheds from snowmelt

Symphony of sight and sound

Waves of Blue’s crescendo

Crash upon my soul as ground

Storm clouds taste like tears

Sadness sip; my welling eyes

To dine on sorrow’s mirror

Breaking glass in bitter skies

I open a new songs playlist (in Alt-Rock, my favorite genre), and press shuffle: Twenty One Pilots comes on first. While the song talks about "sipping on straight chlorine", I taste a bittersweet, fruity tea.

Next artist, Foster The People. It's been so long since I've heard them that their sound has changed from peppermint chewing gum to neon 7-Eleven slurpies, both cold yet energizing (if that makes sense).

After that, Billie Eilish. While I've heard her music everywhere and find it quite catchy, I get this sour tang, like cough syrup being poured down my throat, whenever I hear her for too long. I decide that it's best to skip her for now.

Imagine Dragons is the last artist I listen to before getting back to work. Most of their songs are the metallic sharpness of blood on my tongue, with the occasional sea salt beef jerky and stench of something vaguely piney (the most accurate representation of their music compared to the others).

Confused? For me, having a certain "taste in music" is literal, thanks to synesthesia.

It's pretty hard to explain how hearing part of a song in public can cause me to gag or want to try more of it, and it's even worse when a friend shows me a song they like and I get a completely different impression.

But whether you experience the same things as me or not, we can all agree: Lana Del Ray and Halsey really do sound like cigarette smoke, and "Smells like Teen Spirit" tastes like it too (which gives me very mixed emotions as to what that even means).

they broke from their miraculous chains

and became orange from blue, the new

smell of citrus and basil was infectious and

it choked me with such care, so tender

as it wrapped around replacing their chains

with an unfamiliar forced encumberment. I

lie on the ground ponderously, making love

to the small things in life while chasing after

the big ones. The smell lingers and passes me

gracefully as I acknowledge it.

The glacier beckons

a cerulean hello,

gloomy boulders tease in gray,

fiery pink hillsides tempt,

the canal behind

a turquoise goodbye.