IKB (International Klein Blue), by Colin Pink

IKB 191, by Yves Klein (France) 1962

IKB (International Klein Blue)

Was invented by Yves Klein and is so intense
it burns holes in your retina. It mainlines on

ultramarine, which means beyond the sea because
it came from lapis lazuli found in Afghanistan.

In the fifteenth century it was more expensive 
than gold; it’s the first thing you’ll see in paradise.

Colin Pink

​Colin Pink has two collections of poetry: Acrobats of Sound and The Ventriloquist Dummy’s Lament. New poems are forthcoming in South Bank Poetry, Magma and Under the Radar magazines.