If I was a Colour, I Would be Pink
A stab at poetry that is neither metric nor rhythmic
I. Am. Pink.
Not by choice.
It’s just the first thing you may notice when you see my face.
I’m of Celtic extraction.
Scots, Irish, Welsh and English all rolled into one.
With a bit of Russian and German added for spice.
An amalgam of Catholic and Protestant, duking it out in my Jiminy Cricket- like colon for moral supremacy.
Easily enraged.
Easily embarrassed.
With a face that often reveals my feelings long before my brain kicks in and tries to deflect or cloak them.
My face is the mirror to my soul.
And if it’s hurting, happy, or sad, this fact is sorely evident.
Take the sun for instance.
A mere 20 minutes exposed to the golden orb in the sky and voilà - proof of Vitamin D.
A glass (or 2 or 3) of red wine and poof - burst capillaries all over my cheeks.
Say something that I find offensive and boom - check yourself, friend (or foe). My veins, nostrils and eyeballs are in your face long before my mouth even forms the words to share my thoughts.
Keep talking lost past my point of patience and you will not only see a pink face but also bear witness to an almost audible eye roll.
I am genuinely, unabashedly, distinctly and generally unapologetically me.
Pink.
Even those times when I hate that my face betrays me when I’m trying to be strong or passive.
Even those times when I hate “being a girl” because I start to cry when I’m trying to be strong.
Even those times when I lose my words completely and my pink face just sits there looking damaged and puffy and vulnerable and silent.
So that’s me.
In a nutshell.
In a pale to vibrantly pink nutshell - depending on my mood and circumstances.
My favourite colour is purple.
But I suppose pink is the paler shade.
Here’s to me.
And to all of my pink people, no matter your dominant colour.
About the Creator
Shelley Carroll
Ms. Carroll is a 50-something year-old retired public servant and mother of three adult children. She and her partner Hal live in Amherst NS with a sweet, anxiety-ridden rescue dog. Shelley loves reading, running and red wine.
She/Her
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