The Chromatic Archaeology

On faded cards, once a splendor bright,
rests the face, the moment caught in light.
A cobalt blue, an ardent shade of green,
now is a whisper, a color unseen.
It is not loss, nor is it goodbye’s call,
but time that digs deep, embracing its fall.

Ochre expands now, a discreet veil spun,
where the vibrant red once rested, undone.
Each molecule, a grain of history kept,
gives way to the gleam, where no victory slept.
A slow alchemy, an invisible hand’s art,
transforms the contour, making it fall apart.

Not shadows of form, nor silent lamenting sound,
but a new breath rising from hallowed ground.
The archaeology of pigment is revealed,
showing the layers that time has concealed.
A silence of hues, a subtle echo faint,
of memory dancing, fragile and quaint.