In the Rothko Room at The Phillips Gallery in Washington, DC
they only let in eight  visitors at a time so the colors can saturate
your very being in their loud stillness—so I sit with a few random
strangers and we open our souls to the vibrant hues until we feel
them full inside as well as all around and echoing from each wall

Then later when I live in Liepäja during the 100th anniversary of
Latvia’s Independence and I see the flags fly high on every corner
and am nearly crushed by the crowds in Riga’s Old Town as proud
citizens rejoice in song for their country’s hard-won Centenary—
I finally fully understand the rich deep intensity of Latvian Red.