I like the color yellow
but to color a banana makes
my stomach ache
I want to leave this space
children stand and wave from
the tops of little wash houses
the houses are made of red brick
the children are black
their smiles become lights in their faces
but they don't make me happy
they might fall off the roofs
onto the grey clothes lines
I find a four leaf clover
growing in the sandpile
It is my grandmother...
she is brightly made of green
she sounds like songs
tunes of green and luck
painted far away
the dollhouse flies off the car
as we leave for somewhere else
the pink dolls blow away
when we stop, the world's
cold, brown and blue
I eat white bananas and
swallow the yellow
along with the ache
© Gay Reiser Cannon * 11.21.14 * All Rights Reserved
I think the way to try to walk into the mind of a child's choice color gives this poem a very realistic yet surrealistic point.. and that last stanza made me reread the whole poem for hints of the ache..Wonderful
ReplyDeletethe ache is palpable in this gay... for me, i was thinking of kids that should have equal chances but haven't and kinda fall off the roof system-wise... i wish we could color their world in all the colors and hues they deserve...
ReplyDeleteamazing how our minds can wander... as for kids, they all need hugs and time to be listened to
ReplyDeleteWe propagate, try to raise our own whelps, but too often do not find the time, emotions, or funds, to help all those other children out there. Strong piece, Gay; thanks; love your note about the Toyota.
ReplyDeleteA sadness runs through this piece--a longing for things to be otherwise (except for the stanza about your grandmother--you've made green a happy color).
ReplyDeleteYes green was for Ireland and love, but wistful and sad too as she is very far away.
DeleteChildren are so creative with colors. And it surely is fun to think of the associations people have with colors....such as the grandmother being brightly made of green!!
ReplyDelete"she sounds like songs
ReplyDeletetunes of green and luck
painted far away"
I especially love this line and the way you've worked the colours into this piece.
We often forget that a child's perspective is not all joy and happiness. Despite the bright there is wistfulness in your poem.
ReplyDeleteColouring seems to make a difference as we lose our innocense instead of drawing sense. A cold blue and brown world is what remains, that and a bellyache. Powerful poem.
ReplyDeleteYou can really feel the pain in this one...great job.
ReplyDeleteIt is getting out of the box in experimenting with different colors. That is a nice way to appreciate colors a very unconventional way! Wonderful write Gay!
ReplyDeleteHank
Beautiful, with more than a touch of melancholy. The doll house falling off the car roof... you really got me with how the colors of the world changed.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wistful poem.The color associations brought out the rich and sad experiences of the "I" in the poem. :-)
ReplyDelete~Imelda
"Beachanny by the Sea" has been included in our Sites To See #419. Be assured that we hope this helps to point many new visitors in your direction.
ReplyDeletehttp://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2014/12/sites-to-see-419.html
Thank you! Much appreciated. I have had a lot of visitors lately even though I haven't been able to post as often as I once did.
DeleteI echo mywordwall's comment. Nice post.
ReplyDelete