Unfurled, my heart
separates thread
from flesh, unravels
a small, red blanket...
weaves
a scarlet* cloak for you.
*this dye was obtained by the egyptians
from the shell-fish Carthamus tinctorius
and by the Hebrews from the Coccus ilicis,
an insect which infests oak trees... called
Kermes by the Arabians. It was one of the
colors of the ephod (Ex. 28:6) and the
breastplate of the High Priests. Scarlet
and crimson are the firmest of dyes-
thus not easily washed out of cloth or heart.
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