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You could be Autumn Brown
Or Marigold
The towhead you were
At 5 years old
Or Raven Feather
if you're feeling black
Or Orange Wheat
Or Silverback;
Have a head like Hellfire
Midnight Blue
Or Leprechaun (“Tip
O' the Maaarnin' t'you!”)
Canary Yellow
Fuchsia Dream
Purple Rain or
Orange Cream;
Make people smile
Or coo & swoon
Be an elegant bright
Debonaire buffoon
Anything but Dishwater,
Doormat, half-White –
Stain it to mystery
Or bleach it to light;
Then come back when it fades
And infuse it again
Like a wine on the evening
An egg in a hen –
Feel full in your person
And lush in your skin
And live in this moment
(for the roots will come in).
tow head -
ReplyDelete1. A person with very light (almost white) blond hair, "tow" being flax or hemp fibers. Tow-headed, along with fair(-haired) and flaxen-haired, is a traditional way in the English language to refer to blond hair or lightly-colored hair, having come from its old Germanic roots (which are quite rare).
2. tow headed is literally "flaxen haired". This meaning of tow comes from Middle Low German touw (which means "flax, hemp fiber"). This probably went back to the prehistoric Germanic base *tow-, *taw "make, prepare" (source also of English tool), in the sense "make yarn from wool; spin".
I see you...
ReplyDeleteA crown is a symbol of power, leadership and royalty. Having titled this poem suits the contents of the poem because every decision that someone makes gives them some kind of amount of power. In the beginning of the poem, the reader is being address and given a list of choices of which they could be. The lack of punctuation in between the choices shows the variety of different decisions and personalities that are available for someone to have. The lists of choices allows someone to be who they want to be and gives them the option to be who they want to be. The only things that are mentioned as being taboo are being “Dishwater/Doormat, half-White”. In other words, being color of dirtiness, having other people stepping over you (not being able to stand up for your self), and being half committed (when seeing the world in only black and white, you can’t be half white or half black, you choose to be either black or white and be able to commit to that). In order to possess the qualities that the crown carries one must be able to stand up for themselves and commit to their ideas and be themselves while exerting those qualities. If you have these qualities its important to get rid of them by being able to “stain” or “bleach” them. Once the choices fade, people should refill themselves with who ever they want to be so that they are able to exert themselves proudly within their lives before you are unable to change.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Crown -- the topmost part of the skull or head." (Merriam-Webster)
DeleteAt first, this poem seemed to me to be a list of the endless possibilities that the future holds. I got this feeling from the use of the word “could” (line 1), as it refers to the future and adds a sense of uncertainty to the poem. Although the poem refers to all the possibilities specifically as hair colors, I feel that that idea can be expanded to include any opportunity that may materialize in the future. Although this idea of the future is expressed at the beginning of the poem, the second to last line states that one must “live in this moment”. This contradiction was interesting to me. It seems to be a warning to appreciate the present and to not get hung up on what the future holds. If one is too focused on what will happen to them in the future, they never can be truly grateful for what they have in the present. It seems like you are saying that once you attain what you wanted from the future, take a breath and be thankful for it, because at some point “the roots will come in” and you will not possess it any longer. I also love the shape of the poem- it looks to me like a strand of wavy hair.
ReplyDeleteContradiction? Well, that was clever (read: tricky) of you -- to reinterpret the very specific contemplation of one's immediate next hair color as the more general contemplation of future life opportunities, then call it a contradiction with the poem's line "live in this moment."
DeleteWhen you dye your hair, it's fun but impermanent. That's one, united, true statement. Extrapolate from there whatever broader meaning you find.