It’s Holi

Red and yellow make orange.
Smeared with it, our faces look strange.

Blue and red make purple.
In the water balloons that, towards us, hurtle.

Yellow and blue make green.
When sprayed from a pichkari, we run and scream.

Red and white make pink.
The splashes come faster than we can dodge or think.

Green and red make brown.
There are colors for every person in the town.

Brown and yellow make gold.
The gulaal in the air falls on the young and the old.

The dholak’s beats, the Thandai and sweets,
With them, the celebrations are complete.

Come one, come all – join in the playful revelry.
After all, it’s the festival of colors – it’s Holi.