White is a dove 
And lily of the valley 
And a puddle of milk 
Spilled in an alley -- 
A ship's sail
A kite's tail
A wedding veil
Hailstones and
Halibut bones 
And some people's
Telephones. 
The hottest and most blinding light 
Is white.
And breath is white 
When you blow it out on a frosty night. 
White is the shining absence of all color 
Then absence is white 
Out of touch
Out of sight. 
White is marshmallow 
And vanilla ice cream 
And the part you can't remember 
In a dream.
White is the sound 
Of a light foot walking 
White is the beautiful 
Broken lace 
Of snowflakes falling 
On your face. 
You can smell white 
In a country room 
Toward the end of May 
In the cherry bloom.