Fluent In Color

An epic medley composed of color penned by poets in the Cafe

I have become fluent in color
Reading the hues and shades
Of words written
By familiar strangers and unknown friends
My poetic peers.

I listen....to your palette

Stepping up a ladder of rungs stained red
With spilled wine
Wiping my mind with a coat
The color of a Cherrie
Turning Inchyra Blue
As suns, planets and moons cast shadowy light
On a scream whispered by winds that blew
My poetic fears.

That glisten....on a palette

Of darkest blue and shatter a dagger
Black, like a Smith forging words writing Beauty
Galloping into songs of Light
Her color is beauty!
Lit opaque in truth glowing Songs that heal wounds
With a prism
Casting blues that rise and fall in the night
Plainly caring to hear
My poetic years.

And hasten....to fill my palette

With greenish grey magnetic rocks growing on mushroom clouds
Colors that grip the Genius' fear
Zombies with ruby lips recite under electric light
Dances like snowflakes with auburn hair
Falling in mystical magical colorless woods
Barking Cinnamon
At fishermen
Catching the color of buoyant velvet love
Missing a Share on
Chances to read in a market of ideas writing
My poetic dears.

That fasten....to our palette

Glued by virtual verbal acrylic friendships
That echo in lavender dreams of reality
Where blackbirds sing a song heard 'cross an ocean blue
Reflecting rainbows
The spectrum of colors of the sea
To the depths of darkness
The blackest of brinks
Mishing and mashing waves of grey grief
Washing words ashore that surface
My poetic mirrors.

Reflection....of a palette

Sung in the key of Gee
Singing ancient songs over Black Velvet
Ghosts and shadows laugh from inside a diamond
Crystal clear visions of love
Radiating facets of windmill light turned by unknown poets
Reading, but never reviewing
The kaleidoscope in black and white
Rocking and Rolling spinning and kicking dust in the wind
Contaminating a loaf of tarnished blossoms
Black and white today, tomorrow gray
Parched in Baptismal water lubricating
My poetic gears.

To moisten....a dry palette

Splishing and splashing in addictive detergent
Washing the maroon and green jackets of memory
Only to throw them away
In exchange for a palette without color waning grey
Painting POEts without vision
Discover a key the color of bone
Wrapped in a white napkin that catches
My poetic tears.

I listen....

2022

Author's Note

This is Billigami's way of saying thank you. Thanks for the inspiration and kind words. Especially these last few weeks. And friendships that feel real with familiar strangers. Unknown friends. Almost everyone who has reviewed me is in this poem. A few of you dropped your profiles and Fabian blocked me because he was insulted by the Senryu I wrote for him. No insult was intended. Now I can't read their colors. Each of you have 2 or 3 lines in this poem. Except Jacob and Cherrie who are the beginning and end of it all. I debated on posting a list and decided to do it here for new poets and those who read, but never review. There's about a hundred of you.

Cast of colors (in order of appearance)

jacob erin-cilberto
Cherrie Palmer
Betty Hermelee
M.J.Smith
LightSong
Patricia
Einstein Noodle
Shadrach Hah
JE Falcon
Miss Sharon
Chris Shaw
Mattavelli
Gee
Coyote Perry
Unknown Poet
Rock and Roll Cowboy
John the Baptist
Sam
Carlos Lorenzo Estrada
Cherrie
Jacob

If I missed you I apologize. I had to stop somewhere. Thank you all so much and I look forward to painting with you in the future!

Billigami

Reviews

[Aura]

Wow. This is so sweet and lovely, such a beautiful piece of work dedicated to the amazing and extraordinary poets on Writers Cafe. You show how each one inspired you to keep writing, and how they influenced your poetry. Everything about this piece makes me so happy, from the way you play with each writers name ( The color of a Cherrie, songs of light, missing a Share on) to the way you just blend it all together, a true talent! Sometimes we never know the impact we have on others until they tell us, in your case you showed your gratitude and happiness in the form of a poem. This, was worth reading, it's so sweet!

[William Michael Reeves]

Reviews like that are part of what inspired this. If only I had known there was an aura enveloping the cafe too. I wonder who I might have blended you with? You're pseudonym is irresistible. I did Senryu for everyone too back then.

stoned heart crushed by words
found between lines writing dust
envelops Aura

[Aura]

Thank you, it's so clever! The first line reminds me of my poem "Would you" " Would you still believe I had a heart when I became an owner of a stone?" The second line reminds me of our Petrarchan Sonnet, the line " within the lines of heart, ice blue with frost" ah this is so lovely, you have a exquisite talent when it comes to words :)

[William Michael Reeves]

Thanks. I should do another 'Senryu For You'. I think I started writing a few a while ago, but got distracted. Know how that goes? Thank you Aura, you're making my pen blush and Billigami inspired

[Aura]

Write to your hearts content :) a blushing pen, writes in a passionate red, words exposes a burning message, calming to read, melodic to the ears.

[William Michael Reeves]

I read a poem in there

[Aura]

That was kind of the idea :) a blushing pen

[Soren]

A wonderful pallet of colors. I loved the part "reading but not reviewing" so true of all of life. Full of vivid images. well done.

[William Michael Reeves]

Most of the images belong to the poets. I had fun condensing their thoughts and mixing my own perception into it. Some of these lines have 4 or 5 poems folded into a few words. Thanks Soren. I'll be reading you soon.

Bill

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

This is spectacular, you painted a vibrant painting with your poetic words!

[William Michael Reeves]

Thanks. Turned all the poets words into pigment and threw it at the canvas and look what I got!

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

You are welcome!

[Betty Hermelee]

Trying everything to be a successful poet. I love the all emotions set in a variety of emotions, trying this color, the another one; like a painter, erasing thoughts and then painting new ones in different hues, so poets do the same with ink….but color is much more emotive and expressive…just love where your imagination took you.
Best,
B.

[William Michael Reeves]

The warm fuzzy feeling I get after writing something like this is success! I did not consciously inject 'my poetic fears' into the middle of your part but when I saw that that happened I felt it was appropriate. You had me running scared when you blocked me. I was whispering a scream and felt the black dagger of disapproval right into my gut. So glad to be able to be inspired by you Betty! Thanks

[Betty Hermelee]

You’re very welcome dear friend!

[Cherrie Palmer]

I agree JE.Falcon. you but a lot of work in this. It reads well and is inspiring.
We should never have writers block. All we need is to look around the cafe and start writing.

[William Michael Reeves]

This turned into something I didn't intend. I was thinking about how I've never really written color and all the other poets do. The idea of color as language came to mind. I was going to do a bit of free verse and then this happened. As it started I jumped on the challenge. Take snippets of everyone's poems and mix in my impressions and blend it all together. If I took the punctuation out it would almost run as one long sentence. I can't count how many times I've read it and love it more and more because it's just a reflection of you all. Some of these lines have 4 or 5 poems folded into a sentence. I just had to throw the bone key in there at the end I liked your story so much. And the light created by celestial words you've written. I think Inchyra Blue was the first poem of yours I read. Thanks Cherrie.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Ya know I've been wanting to write a poem in color. I may take a stab at it.

[Cherrie Palmer]

See: Red Pumps

[JE Falcon]

Speaking for myself, I have no problem with this and I feel it is very nice that you went to so much trouble constructing this "Thank You". It is very special.

[William Michael Reeves]

Painting the edge of plagiarism with imitation of sincere flattery.