Color My World

Happy Spring, everyone! This year, the change in seasons has been a long time coming. But this week I saw little buds starting to form on skinny maple branches—their red color popping against the blue sky. It made me so happy! And then the surprise of a single crocus flower in my snowy backyard inspired this little ditty!

The promise of growth, new life, and the resurrection of plants from their winter beds fills me with hope. Color is about to explode in the coming weeks, announcing spring.

Bring it on!

Thank you to poet Alan J. Wright, who mentioned Petula Clark's song, Colour My World in his comments last week. Such a fun song that takes me back. Crank it up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxdchV37Alo

In honor of spring, these are the colors I chose this week:

• Dandelion

• Wild Strawberry

• Spring Green

Dandelion

When I saw the name of this golden color, I did some research and was fascinated to learn about the dandelion's history. For gardeners, it is a great companion plant, as its taproot brings up nutrients for shallow-rooting plants. Maybe we should see this little herb in a new light.

Wild Strawberry

"It's the berries!" is a 1920s slang phrase meaning "an event that's highly enjoyable or desirable." The color, Wild Strawberry, reminded me of Kevin Keanne, a cute little blonde fellow who attended my licensed daycare years ago. He disappeared on a field trip to a local U-pick farm and was found with a smear of berries on his face. The cutest thing I ever saw. How could I be mad?

Spring Green

On a walk one spring day, I noticed new baby maple leaves that had just unfurled, hanging wet and limp from the branches. It reminded me of butterflies' wings, which need time to dry and inflate so they can fly. I called the poem, Eclosion, which means "the emergence of an adult insect from a pupa or a larva."

Thank you to Tanita S. Davis for hosting POETRY FRIDAY Round-up on her blog SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME this week. Be sure to stop by to check out the other poetry links. Tanita has a powerful video about the power of poetic words in songs. Seeing people coming together in peace to sing of a better way moved me so. Spring is a time of new life, new beginnings and hopefulness. Let's "Hold On" and sing our way to love and peace.

Happy Spring Everyone!

How About a Wee Bit of Poetry?

After dealing with over 24" of snow the past week or so, a lovely warm front blew in. After a couple of 70-degree days, the ice dams have finally melted off my roof. There is even some green-ish grass showing through now. I couldn't be happier.

This week's poems were an eclectic bunch, but very fun to write. Bet you can't guess my color inspiration for this week...

Yep! It's Green!

Saint Patrick, is the patron saint of Ireland, and has been celebrated by Catholics and other Christians worldwide for over 1000 years. St. Patty's Day was originally marked by prayer, Mass, and feasting, and has evolved into a celebration of the saint himself, Ireland, and Irish heritage and culture. And the yummy foods? Ahhhh.... I sure love me a boiled dinner— corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread, and shepherd’s pie. The best comfort food.

Today's Colors are:

• Shamrock Green

• Magic Mint

• Emerald

Shamrock Green

When your grandchildren are very young, you can sometimes get away with things, but once they turn 9, all bets are off. This true story happened a year ago, when my then-8-year-old granddaughter stayed for a sleepover. The resulting discovery reminded me of the day my kids found out about Santa.

Magic Mint

The summer cocktail, "The Pimms Cup," originated in Britain— that's close to Ireland... Right? Mint is a huge component of the flavor experience. When I saw the name MAGIC MINT, I thought of my son's garden. He planted a bit of mint to have on hand for their summer Pimm's cocktails, and it took over the yard. They have enough mint now for a whole town full of drinks!

For my MAGIC MINT poem, I decided to try a CINQUAIN. Cinquains do not need to rhyme, but you can include rhymes if you want to.

They are five lines long:

• 2 syllables in the first line,

• 4 in the second,

• 6 in the third,

• 8 in the fourth line,

• and 2 in the last line.

Here's a little bit about the Pimm's Cup drink my daughter-in-law loves to serve to guests, in case you're curious.

Pimms cup cocktail

Emerald

I was intrigued by the green colors of the Cliffs of Moher and, with a little scouting, came upon a site that discussed Irish folklore. The tale of the Merrow (Mermaid) who loses her cochaillín draíochta (magical cap) and her desperate longing to return to the sea caught my eye. My poem for EMERALD tells the tale of the fisherman who loved his Merro and built a life on land with her, only to lose her again to the sea.

You can read more here.

Thank you to Linda Baie at Teacher Dance for hosting today's Poetry Friday Round-up. You can find links to all sorts of lovely poetry there. Serve yourself up a big heaping helping!

Till Next week!

An Unexpected Connection

After I choose my colors each week, I start by researching what that Crayola crayon looks like. I then think all around the name for ideas, pulling images from my photos or online for inspiration.

When I finally start to write, I believe I know the direction my writing will take me. Then, suddenly, my muse surprises me with a different idea, and I usually like it better.

Well, this week I chose the colors:

• Denim

• Blush

• Gold

They showed me they had something unexpected in common—my beautiful mother.

My mother, Nancy- a professional model at eighteen.

Blush

My mother had a keen sense of fashion and was always coordinated and polished. An outfit was never complete without the final accent—peach lipstick. She and my Dad often dressed up to go out on Friday nights for business or to play bridge. My favorite memories are of the days my mom dressed like a Barbie doll in her gowns, fancy makeup, and hair, of course.

When she passed away five years ago, two of the things I kept—meaningless to anyone else—were her peach lipsticks and a nearly empty bottle of Jontue perfume. I like picking them up these days, knowing her fingers touched them.

My mother's Jontue and two used lipsticks. Somehow it makes her feel close:)

After you read the "BLUSH" poem below, you'll understand why these overused lipsticks are kept on my bathroom cabinet shelf and evoke such a precious memory for me.

Denim

Denim immediately brought me back to Junior High School in Illinois. My mother liked having me dress up for school, which meant a dress or top and skirt. With my long legs, I was VERY self-conscious. I wanted to fit in so badly, but my height, along with the dresses, made me stand out in an uncomfortable way. I still remember the feeling when my mom gave me permission to wear jeans to school. Yes, they were a bit short, but I didn't care.

For DENIM, I decided to try a poetic form introduced to me on a recent Poetry Friday by Alan J. Wright—a CHOKA poem. As with other Japanese poetic forms, the CHOKA does not typically rhyme or have rules on length.

It follows these guidelines:

• Five syllables in the odd-numbered lines (line one, three, five, etc.)

• Seven syllables in the even-numbered lines (line two, four, six, etc.)

• Finishes with two consecutive seven-syllable lines

Gold

When I thought of the color GOLD, this memory popped up. Settling your parents' estate and going through a lifetime of memories and stuff is one of the most difficult things about losing a parent. As hard as it was to divvy up her jewelry with my siblings, I am happy I have a few precious pieces, as they make my mother feel near every time I wear them.

One of my favorite things to do on Poetry Friday to relax is to click through the Poetry Friday links and enjoy their beautiful, varied poems and stories. Highly recommend. Thanks to Karen Edmisten for hosting Poetry Friday Round-up this week. Be sure to visit her blog to enjoy a charcuterie platter of prose and rhyme. Delicious! Karen's poem "One Way to Live" brought me to tears and shines light on the emotions we're feeling these days. Poetry is amazing like that.