Today's napowrimo prompt on readwritepoem asked us to be inspired by color. Here's what I came up with.
Red
I don't think I can ever
be like Burns’ red, red rose
or plait a dark red love-knot in my hair
like Bess.
Or be the girl
with the red lips
in the red dress.
To wrap myself in red would be too much.
It would burn.
The rose has thorns.
Bess spattered her love-knot
With her own red blood
For the man in the red velvet coat.
And the red lips
of Yeats’ rising woman
were mournful.
They changed everything.
No, red is too risky. It doesn’t ask. It takes.
It can call itself scarlet, ruby, merlot.
With red there is only one way to go.
I prefer to stay with my greens and blues.
But if red warms and scorches,
Melts and consumes,
then I guess red
is what lives
in me
for you.
or plait a dark red love-knot in my hair
like Bess.
Or be the girl
with the red lips
in the red dress.
To wrap myself in red would be too much.
It would burn.
The rose has thorns.
Bess spattered her love-knot
With her own red blood
For the man in the red velvet coat.
And the red lips
of Yeats’ rising woman
were mournful.
They changed everything.
No, red is too risky. It doesn’t ask. It takes.
It can call itself scarlet, ruby, merlot.
With red there is only one way to go.
I prefer to stay with my greens and blues.
But if red warms and scorches,
Melts and consumes,
then I guess red
is what lives
in me
for you.
This is also Rick's birthday poem. Happy Birthday, Rick.
That is spectacular!
ReplyDeleteAfter all the images of burning red, for the speaker to tell the beloved that's what is inside, well, that's quite a metaphor for love.
ReplyDeleteSweet picture of you and the wee one on your sidebar.
Wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteLove all the references and poetical asides...
(I am a blue and green girl, too!)
What a splendid treatise on the seductive dangers of red!
ReplyDeleteSo glad I found ds at ThirdStorey Window's recommendation to read you. Will be back later to read more! signed, Oh
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Sometimes I flirt with red, but I tend to stick with blues and greens too :-).
ReplyDeletequite true! Red consumes it doesnt ask for permission :)
ReplyDeleteAnd hence red is love.. it flows uninterrupted
Love that line about red consuming and not asking permission, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everybody for the kind feedback. Angie-I can tell by the look of your blog that you're a red and green person, too!
ReplyDeleteAnnie-to me, blues and greens are more blissful!
westcobich-I'm so very glad you found me through ThirdStorey Window. I'm honored to be mentioned there.
Christine-the wee one is my niece, Molly.
Come back again, everyone! It's so nice to hear from you...
Wonderful poem...I did a series of posts on colors a while ago, though taking a far different tack with it, starting with three posts on primary colors and then another three on secondary colors, and really amazed myself with what came up....
ReplyDelete