Charlotte Barr and the Color of GodIn many of her poems, contemporary poet Charlotte Barr provides insight into the relationship between God and man. “A Complaint to Her Lord in Her Lonelies,” “Black and White,” and “Color” all use the colors black, white, and red to explore the relationship between the speaker and God. The speakers of the poems see these colors as indicators of their love for God. Through each of the poems, the use of color allows each speaker to better understand his or her relationship with God. From a broader view, many of the things the speakers learn can be applied to the relationship between God and common man. In “A Complaint to His Lord in His Solitude,” the speaker uses red and white to embody passion and purity. The two extremes are never reconciled and, at the end of the poem, juxtaposed in their meanings. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker prays to God, saying, "There's a rosebud on your altar / Waiting unopened. / Who knows if it's red or white?" (ll. 1-3) Here, the sexual side of the speaker, c...