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Red is striking as a stripe through a rug,
woven or tufted tightly, thin or wide.
But not as blood seeping through a white shirt
or bandage held tightly against wounded pride.
Red is pretty as petals on roses,
fake or real, or floating in a river.
But not when shot through the eyes of sleepless
and starving children waiting for succor.
Red is luscious as silk costumes and shawls
wrapped around lithe bodies and chilled shoulders.
But not as fire and gun burns on arms that
reluctantly use them as ordered.
Let red be nature’s innocent color,
not experienced as wartime décor.
For Sherry's prompt "THIS IS NO TIME TO MAKE THINGS PRETTY" at What's Going On?
This is an interesting vantage point, Susan : the state of the world as embodied by the colour red. The blood seeping through a white shirt, the starving children, come vividly to life in your poem and will not soon be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteWartime decor... I think also the colour of shame of a world watching a whole people be extinguished...when red could just be nature's innocent colour...your poem brought tears, Susan...
ReplyDeleteThat close is stunning, Susan. It sums up the whole poem and its purpose. I also read it as a prayer as well as a note of caution.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you wove the mention of so many things that are red throghout this poem, how you contrasted the sweet images (petals on roses, etc.) to the images of blood and war. Powerful!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your seeing red in a sonnet, Susan’, and the comparisons between the aesthetically pleasing red and the ugly red of ‘blood seeping through a white shirt’ or the ‘fire and gun burns on arms’. The closing couplet is memorable.
ReplyDeleteThat cut me to the quick. The images of war on our TV screens are just too much to bear. These wars must stop. Suzanne - Wayfaring - Wordpress
ReplyDeleteRed is pretty as petals on roses, (red as blood from the thorn torn flesh) Red is a stunning color full of symbolism. Passion and pain ...
ReplyDeleteWonderful style and flow - highlighting the wonderful power of colour and mood and circumstance - Jae
ReplyDeleteI love the point of view you took for this poem. Outstanding, Susan!
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