An Ode to the Colour Blue

Blue is my favourite colour

It’s the colour of deep seas and still lakes

Of cloudless skies

- inky at night -

Of tiny flowers and indigo dye.

It’s the colour of tropical birds

Ocean whales and Burmese cats

Of shiny beetles

And rainforest amphibians.

It’s the colour of calming wallpaper

And the sound of an extended chord,

A harmonious whisper.

Blue is the colour of my eyes

A part of my body that has never been

Put

Down

By insensitive acquaintances

Or ruthless women’s magazines

Pointing out pimples

Or wrinkles,

Orange peel cellulite,

Rolls of glorious fat.

My eyes remain predictable as my body and style

And opinions change with the years.

They turn steely grey when I am tired

Or stood by the ocean

On an overcast day.

They shout aquamarine when my face

Is red from crying

Or when the sunlight glares

Off the surface of a swimming pool.

They hum royal blue in the evening

When the light is low

And my pupils dilated.

They hint teal when I wear moss green.

I used to think my blue eyes

Were the only part of my dad that I inherited

-And was glad!-

Now I see more of myself in him

(And it’s not so bad)

As well as his eyes

I have his strength

And his stubbornness

His take-no-shit approach to life

And dealing with inconsiderate neighbours

His logic

And intuition

And, I later realised, his feet.

So blue is my favourite colour

In all its shades and values and bodies

As it tells me where I came from

And where to look when I am unsure

Of who I am

Or where I am going

Since the ocean or the sky

Usually offer me an answer

When I don’t like the one my dad gave me.