In Delphi’s blood
a reddish dull yellow
color mixture
not quite orange
resulted from
the placement
of the philosopher’s stone
upon her heart
by her mother
when she was a child
and it transformed
some of the iron
in her hemoglobin
into gold
counter to
the popular myth
about the stone’s effect
on bluish-gray lead.
copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 