Colour blind emotions (Pantoum)

by Masked metaphor   Sep 1, 2014


Tossing and turning through colour binding dreams,
I awaken in the darkness of sadness and gloom.
My visual perception so torn at the seams,
the colour of life sucked dry as a corpse in a tomb.

I awaken in the darkness of sadness and gloom,
black and white paint drips over my pupils.
The colour of life sucked dry as a corpse in a tomb,
I venture on a journey within unfolding scruples.

Black and white paint drips over my pupils,
I seek colour like life seeks living, buried in a graveyard.
I venture on a journey within unfolding scruples,
given a choice of one colour, displayed on a tarot card...

I seek colour like life seeks living, buried in a graveyard,
a fortuneteller displays vivid colours with meanings,
given a choice of one colour, displayed on a tarot card,
my indecisive heart, searches for appropriate dealings.

A fortuneteller displays vivid colours with meanings;
Red is passion, pink is romance, beige is simplicity...
My indecisive heart, searches for appropriate dealings.
Yellow is joy, purple is royalty, blue is tranquility...

Red is passion, pink is romance, beige is simplicity,
Orange is energy, green is fertility, brown is endurance,
Yellow is joy, purple is royalty, blue is tranquility,
Gold is strength, and silver is ordinance...

Orange is energy, green is fertility, brown is endurance...
My visual perception so torn at the seams,
gold is strength, and silver is ordinance,
tossing and turning through colour binding dreams.

*Written for a weekly prompt by Hannah
Prompt: magine that you woke up one morning completely color blind, only able to see in black and white. However, you had the option to choose ONE color to add to your vision. What color would it be and why?

My poem is about a person so unsure of what colour to choose as a fortuneteller gives them so many options yet in the end it reinforces the instability of their inner emotions - due to the instability of my characters emotions they were unable to choose a colour and are doomed to a continuous spiral of black and white

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Latest Comments

  • 9 years ago

    by Hannah Lizette

    Each week I look forward to your entries for the weekly prompt because I know that you will step out of your comfort zone and try something completely unique. That is what these prompts are all about and I truly thank you for participating week after week. It's been a pleasure reading your wonderful poetry.

    The form alone is very difficult in my opinion. I couldn't pull it off at all but you did with ease. I'll be honest and say that I'm truly not fond of this form because I'm not big on so much repetition but you made it work in a way that it was more appealing.

    The character visits a fortuneteller, trying to find answers, to understand life and find out what their future holds. However, when the fortuneteller displays all of the tarot cards in front of them, they simply can't choose. They sit and contemplate on which color is the perfect fit for them... could it be red (passion), pink (romance), beige (simplicity), yellow (joy), purple (royalty), blue (tranquility), orange (energy), green (fertility), brown (endurance), gold (strength), or silver (ordinance). They feel torn, unable to make a decision... so ultimately they choose the fate of living a simple black and white lifestyle. Maybe they are scared of the possibility of all of those colors and what they mean, their emotions are unstable and at the moment they would rather be somewhere that feels safe, which at the moment is sandwiched between black and white. A very deep meaning is held here, great job!

    *search's should be searches*

  • 9 years ago

    by Lune de ma vie

    I loved the description throughout this poem, it oozes artistic ability to apply such a tough kind of poem along with a tough subject into a beautiful struggle.

    You painted a great picture here showing us that this person is unable to choose what color they want to see, that the description of the colors used by emotions was an awesome way to piece it together for someone who can only see black and white. It gives the reader a chance to actually envision what a emotion or word may look like if it was a color, rad idea.

    Favorite line is "black and white paint drips over my pupils." that is a really in depth and vivid sentence. I just can imagine a color full of black and white, a dull life and the struggle of not knowing which color to choose because they want them all.

    The use of repeating also really helped make the situation sink in. Another beautiful and amazing write.

    5/5

  • 9 years ago

    by cassie hughes

    I must admit it took a couple of reads to get into the flow of this. I have never encountered Pantoum before.
    But.
    I found it so compelling to read. The compulsive way the narrator strives for something they are already sure they can not achieve is echoed in the layout of the poem itself.
    This was such an original take on the prompt Hannah gave us. As your poems always are.
    Definitely a 5 from me! :)