Our Colors~

~for Aven's contest 'Injustice'~

I did not know what color was

until our hands raced in a rainbow curve

creating blues, greens, reds, yellows

where our fingertips touched

elation emerged on paper

blended with blush laughter

tinting our lips apple red 

 

I didn’t know what color was

until you taught me how to listen

to the hues inside of music

pumping brilliant arrays

around our bodies

caught

in double dutch rhymes

 

I didn’t know what color was

until you traced my path back home

watching lavender smears erupt

at the end of the man’s fist

against the dyes of innocence

his ignorance in dark smears

under his eyes

demanding I act my color

demanding

I stick with my color

and I said

but there are not many

black and blue and purple girls in the world

 

I didn’t know what color was

until

you cleaned the blood from my mouth

gave your tears to mine

collecting in the bowl of our joined palms;

you said

we are all blood and we are all water

and then

I knew what color was

and ours was the color of the rainbow

on the mural

at McKinley Elementary

 

 

copyright:2010vssmd/amusemusepress

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

 

Author's Note

Aven's Contest here~http://www.writerscafe.org/contests/Injustice/12276/

Reviews

[Bard Constantine]

Judging or hating because of a mundane thing as skin color has to be perhaps the greatest ignorance/arrogance of humanity. Love the way you bring this home with your autobiographical tale of pain and enlightenment... children are far wiser than their wards at times...

[Jennifer Lenhardt]

WOW - love this one too, Selene. as someone else said below, I too hate categories, so the line about acting one's color hits a strong and definite note. Amazing piece.

[Maurice]

No one uses color the way you do. Loved the ending.

[FireWoman]

Gorgeously written, gorgeous.

[MissWordSmith]

this is going to my favorites. and rarely does that happen. i think you know how wonderful this piece was, i don't have to say it!
what's life without color? a dog's misfortune I suppose =P

[Kerry O'Connor]

No one can infuse a poem with colour the way you do, Selene. Always a pleasure to read your evocative writing. I love the innocence captured in the last line.

[Brad]

wow! i heard some blue jazz behind this...a defiant victim...shouting amongst a crazy piano striking out off key melodies...almost tenessee williams like

[Jibey]

I enjoyed this cleverly constructed piece with the painful centre... tho' lavender has nice associations for me and I had to adjust my thinking....

[TAO]

I didn’t know what color was
until you traced my path back home
watching lavender smears erupt
at the end of the man’s fist
against the dyes of innocence
his ignorance in dark smears
under his eyes
demanding I act my color
demanding
I stick with my color
and I said
but there are not many
black and blue and purple girls in the world


I obviously REALLY liked that stanza. The whole entire poem is amazing. 'Act your color'... That struck a chord with me, mostly because people tend to call me a 'white black guy'. I hate categories; I love lavender (favorite color, not so black, I think :)) Selene, this one is truly, truly touching, especially the end.

[David W Moore III]

It kills me when you talk about the black and purples so matter of factly. I guess it's because it's so alien to my nature that I rail at the injustice. But there are too many for whom those are the colors of life and they know no different.

[.]

love the use of colours to express feelings and thoughts..