Color me Intense

Mother used to pick my clothes. She sewed lots of them. In grade school she would wake me up and while I was in the bathroom she would pick the dress I was to wear for the day. Set it out on the bed she had just made up for me for me. She did the same for all of us. Maybe even my father. Picking the tie to go with the dark suit and the white shirt.

Being old enough to go to the fabric store and pick the color of material for a dress seemed such a freedom. I could have an opinion about how I wanted to look. The mood I wanted to present to the world. I could at last choose colors other than pink. My closets are now riots of color. Packing recently to go to a fair for four days I found myself thinking a lot upon color and what it means to me.

Color me

Pink
Always hated the color pink
Girls in pink
Boys in blue
Who gets to wear green?
Just trees and grass?

Such a lovely color green
cool, and crisp, rich like emeralds
Or red
Fiery, bright, hot
Just a bit naughty
Or orange
burnt orange
Spicy color
One you can taste
Tingles upon the tongue

Or Purple?
Old ladies in lilac
Smelling of lavender
Girls in pastels
Lovely dotted Swiss in lemon yellow
Ashes of roses satin gown for junior prom
Boys in blues
Men and greys and navy
Carnations in pink

Black for mourning, mystery and loss
White for brides and sacrifice
Prom formal in strapless pink tulle
White orchid corsage
Borrowed taffeta gown for winter ball
Green miniature orchid wrist corsage
The queen wore black

Pink is for babies
And cotton candy
Color me green
Or red or orange
But color me vivid and bright
Color my memories intense

J.Binford-Bell October 2007