Persnickity Plum

The first box of 8 Crayola Crayons was sold in 1903. Ever since, they have become an iconic part of so many young children's lives.

Each September, I headed off to school with a new green and yellow pack and tucked it into my school desk. There was nothing like a new, fresh pack of 8 crayons to spur the imagination. I loved coloring because it was very meditative and a way to escape into my own little world for a while. I dabbed and layered the 8 colors to make new ones, pressing hard to get richer, darker colors and lightly to get softer ones.

And then the most life-changing happened....

I received a box of 64 crayons for my birthday. Not only did this 9-year-old now own every color imaginable, but the box came with a flip-open top and a built-in sharpener. Wow!

The possibilities for creation seemed endless.

Since our last Poetry Friday (read more about what Poetry Friday is HERE), I have been pondering the OLW (One Little Word) that each poet has been choosing for their focus this year. It brought to mind a tradition at Highlights where we each choose a word that rings true to us. My word this November was GRATEFUL.

Then this week, I spent some time writing brief poems about colors and enjoyed it quite a bit. I think COLOR feels like a good word for me this year for many reasons:

• The drab of winter has me longing for colorful blossoms in the spring and the cheerfulness they bring.

• Color makes me happy. When I am around colorful things, my imagination soars, and so does my gratitude for the beauty I see in the colors of the sky, in my grandchildren's drawings, even in the vegetables in my soup.

• Color is everywhere. Since it is all around me, I cannot help but notice and think about it.

• Thinking about "COLOR" this year will help me to find the color in my own world, which at times can feel a bit gray.

Inspired by Irene Latham's weekly poems, I am going to go through the box of 64 colors from my childhood this year and see what poem each one inspires.

Here is my first one:

Thank you to Jan at Bookseed Studio for hosting this week. Her post reminded me of a long-forgotten song from my childhood. Hope you will stop by.