Mark Rothko said it was always with him
No skull and crossbones needed
As through the canvas
You go swimming
He cared not for
Narrative
Or subtext
And such
Just how it made
You feel
Down deep
In your guts
The terror
The love
Overwhelming weight
That of history
And suffering
Belonging
And hate
Like smudged details of the universe
Doors without locks
A place he didn't put messages
A dead letterbox.