A Speckle of Color
The art reflects the artist
These dots connect no line
Spaced apart, far and fine
As a child I begged them fade
Lived life only in the shade
Some are big, others small
I ne'er dare count them all
Ugly I thought them be
Until I saw a little one like me
I stilled their hand and smiled
This wild and astonishing child
And begged them not to fret
Or their dappled color regret
I spoke the words I needed to hear
When I myself, covered in fear
Shunned the outside world of light
Ne'er allowing my sprinkled skin be bright
"These marks are kisses from angels
Perhaps from all different angles
A collection of you, same as me
Rare, simple, and full of beauty
"Wear the markings of your story
In all their imperfect glory
Show your badges of color proud
Even the ones so very loud
"Bear the blots, the spots
Be they brown, or nots
Embrace the happiest of speckle
And do so love the color of freckle."
About the Creator
Nicole Stairs
My sister says I'm haunted. Guess that's why they say "Write what you know". If I have to deal with it, dear reader, then so do you. I throw in the occasional sweet story, just for a palette cleanser...enjoy!
Keep reading
More stories from Nicole Stairs and writers in Poets and other communities.
A Flower Song
Apparently the Aztecs, Toltecs, Chichimecs and other Mexica were crazy about poetry. Despite the book-burning, slaughter, and epidemics that characterized the early stages of the Spanish conquest of the empires of Mexico, some hundreds of poems from the height of their tradition come down to us in Classical Nahuatl, preserved by Nahua and Spanish scholars of the 16th century. One of the most famous poets, Nezahualcoyotl, was a sage-king who opposed the cult of human sacrifice associated with Tezcatlipoca, God of the Smoking Mirror, and favored Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Flowers and feathers were the favorite offering of the Plumed Serpent. Moreover, flowers and feathers are a metaphor for poetry. Individual words, scattered petals, the down of tropical birds. The temples of blood sacrifice could be transformed into temples of flower and song. A sublimated offering to the Heart of Earth and the Heart of Sky encapsulated in the Classical Nahuatl kenning for poetry: in xōchitl in cuīcatl, meaning, "the flower and the song." The following poem is part of a longer work, and is in a state of flux, so take the waters as they flow:
By Rob Angeli5 days ago in Poets
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.