From Green Green Green, a book of essays, which was published last month by Nightboat Books.

There is a deathliness built into the linguistic history of green. As in, you look green. As in, lie down. These meanings come from Latin (verdigris) through Greek (chloros), in which green signifies a paleness pertaining to complexion, an excess of bile. Just as the other side of an olive leaf is silver. And drought-resistant plants, in white sun, turn yellowish or gray. So, California, in a drought, can go blindingly white, not just in the sky, but on earth also. And yet,…