I See Colors | Taegi

eighteen

During lunch,
I'm sitting in the music room
holding a yellow leaf.

   I twirl it around by its stem
   as I wait for Yoongi
   to walk in.

   It's windy today as well,
   and while I was walking to school,
   this leaf fell on my jacket
and got stuck.

   During homeroom,
   I took some research into the leaf
   and saw how fascinating it is.

   It's outline is rugged
   but it still shines a bright yellow.
I'm pretty sure it's a linden leaf
since it's shaped like a heart
and was found in the northern hemisphere.

After more research,
I discovered that it's most likely a leaf
   from a tree known as
   Idesia polycarpa.

It's amazing
how people can find the origins of a leaf
just by it's veins.

   I twirl it more
   and watch it spin
   like a fake propeller.
   I imagine it
   catch the breeze suddenly
   and fly out of my fingers.

   One thing I love about science
is that feeling you get
when you finally understand a concept
and then look outside.

   The door opens
   and I see Yoongi walk in.

   He sees the leaf before he sees me.

   I expect him to ask
   why I have a leaf indoors,
   but instead he does his routine
   of sitting by the piano
   and warming up.

   Though I'm surprised,
   I don't feel
   offended.
   Especially when
   he begins playing a song.

   I listen to it,
   but I don't get lost.

   I can tell, though,
   that the song is not telling a story,
   but it's telling the scene
   of something frozen in time.

   When the short song is over,
   I stand up and
   walk over to him.

   Yoongi must hear the sound of my shoes
   and he looks up
   with curiosity.

   I hold the leaf out for him to take.

   His eyebrows raise
   as he looks at the leaf
   then at me.

   "What's this for?"

   I retract my arm a bit
   as I begin to worry
   that my explaination
   will ruin the gift.

   "Uh...
   This is a leaf
   from a tree.
   The tree's scientific name
   is 'Idesia polycarpa',
   but people can also refer to it as
   the 'Wonder Tree.'"

   I wait for Yoongi to say something,
   but he stays quiet.

   "I want to give this to you
   because it's bright yellow,
   and yellow represents
   friendship and happiness.
   Also,
   I thought back to
   how you confused yellow and blue,
   and thought it could help
   or at least represent
   how, um, our different perspectives
   can still agree
that it's the same leaf."

   I wait
   for Yoongi to laugh
   and call me weird.

   I wait
   for him to leave
   like he did before.

   But instead,
   the leaf is taken out of my hands,
   and I see Yoongi hold it
   like it's something I made myself.

"Thank you..."
His voice is stunned,
"I've never gotten gifts
from a non-family member before."

I smile.
"Does it look yellow?
Be honest."

Yoongi looks down at it again.
"No,

It looks grey."