I know

White light has all the colors
And our atmosphere acts like a prism
Giving us orange and yellow and sometimes green
Did you know in Japan they see a red sun

I know

All around the world we see the sun
In different ways
As if it were made in different shades
For everyone

I know

But no one’s ever seen
A purple sun
Not even in Japan

The boy stopped coloring
Put the wrapperless purple crayon into the box
Closed the lid

He crumpled up
His picture of the sun
Hanging low in the mountains
And threw it in the trash

The man got it out of the trash
Uncrumpled it

I'm sorry he said

I know

I shouldn’t have said anything
It's just

I know

It's a damn good picture
Is it a sunrise or a sunset

I don’t know

The man looked out the window
At the still life outside
Imitating art

Neither do I, son
Neither do I