Thursday, October 13, 2011

Red as . . .

Red as wagons
As Nana’s box that Squirrel came in
As fat wax candles and first nail polish
As stripes on ribbons in typing class
As filing folders, print on sugar packets, Persephone’s
        three-seed lunch and Diet Coke
As in walks an office fantasy . . .
Red as the east, eight hundred million little books and all
        the signs that time in Chinatown
As blood, as an apple, a Gala, Campari, a slapped cheek,
        the veins of a Jonathan and recklessness

As eyes at sunrise

And his eyes, years later, from the blood-thinners
As a tea found only in Canada
As pity.


Red Rose Tea, advertised with the slogan "only in Canada, pity", used to include a Wade figurine in every box. Figurine image by permission of Fabulously Fun Finding on etsy. Posted to dVerse Poets.

20 comments:

  1. dang...nice blend in this...some definite eye catchers too...the office fantasy...the slapped face...jonathan...but a great progression...

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    Replies
    1. smiles. nice to see this one again for FormForAll, def fits the bill...

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  2. cool play on red..as first nail polish
    As stripes on ribbons in typing class...and the office phantasy of course..so cool..

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  3. Oh, my goodness-- just wonderful.

    I especially love:

    Red as the east, eight hundred million little books and all the signs
    that time in Chinatown
    As blood, as an apple, a Gala, Campari, a slapped cheek, the veins
    of a Jonathan and recklessness

    As eyes at sunrise ...

    wonderful juxtaposition of image, and a superb sense of craft operating in this poem! xxxj

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  4. This is very creative. Well-done.

    Not being Canadian, I'd never heard of Red Rose tea. At my work they offer various herbal teas. I was surprised to note that every flavor includes hibiscus blossoms.

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  5. First off, I love the images in your poem. You really capture some great "reds" in here! Second, I smiled when I saw the Red Rose tea box and the squirrel because I remember them from growing up! I didn't live in Canada, but we had that tea and I remember finding a monkey figurine in the box and being freaked out by it! I didn't realize they put them in there on purpose!

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  6. such powerful and graceful redness in life,
    Thrilled to discover its meanings via your poem.

    a fantastic read, well done.

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  7. Kathy, this is so cool. I love how you zeroed in on a color and opened your eyes and looked to see where you find red. Made me stop and notice, here in the room where I'm sitting. Great idea.

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  8. I like the idea of pity being red- and not just any red...

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  9. Wonderful poem, great juxtapositions. I keep thinking of tea and sympathy. The pity was so surprising here --I know red rose tea but not the slogan, but you manage to make it work. K.

    I think the veins of the Jonathan just great. K.

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  10. So many lovely images, without using the obvious ones! Red eyes at sunrise especially caught me... Don't know why, but that set my mind racing. Thank you for a lovely piece!

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  11. very good. I like. all that red-ness. you took off on it, didn't you.
    I like the rhythm and 'roll' of this piece, all draped in Red.
    good job.

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  12. Oh, I love this. As red as recklessness stands out for me most at this moment but when I return to read, I will feel the slapped cheek red or the red of pity or the box of tea. It is a poem to experience over and over and each time, the experience will be brand new. So very vivid.

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  13. By leaving the images themselves to give off their own emotions, by piling them up one after another, you create a cumulative feeling and individual image impression. I really like it. I have a polish my sister gave me called "Really I'm Not A Waitress" :D

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  14. This was a different kind of trip, transported down time's blood stream..standouts that made me say "oh" the red on a typewriter ribbon (I'd forgotten that), recklessness (yes seeing red) even wagons - I wonder if they're as red now as my Red Flyer was. Wow! Excellent use of juxtaposed images for effect.

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  15. I like the repetition of "as" along with the comparisons and the way you used lines from an advertisement.

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