Hue-bris
I painted every living room wall,
but did not like the hue at all.
It did not match the sofa right.
It was too orangey and bright.
And so I sought to alter it
with another color over it.
A watery glaze applied with care
cancelled out that awful glare.
I did not like the yellow alone,
but thinly o’er the other tone
it did the trick and looked superb.
One color did the other curb.
Carefully on a section ample
I painted out a color sample
to show the painter what to do–
watered yellow over orangeish hue.
He was an artist and had an eye
for form and structure, grass and sky
but his talent was not English or
my talent was not Spanish, for
when I came home at end of day,
my cry was one of real dismay.
What had he done, this artist fellow,
but take the undiluted yellow
and cover all the orange up?
The room looked like a buttercup!
I shook my head in real distress.
It clashed with sofa, hair and dress.
Next day, the paint store saw me coming.
The owner smiled and started humming.
Money in hand, I came each day
to pay and pay and pay and pay.
Alas, selections were not ample.
I knew they did not have a sample
right for me and so I got
ten liters of yellow and also bought
orange and white and brown and green,
blue and every hue between.
I took them home and mixed them up–
tint after tint in a gallon cup.
And pretty soon I had a stew
of every little shade and hue
and when I put it on the wall,
I found it was the best of all!
It matched my sofa and my eyes.
It clashed not with the lawn nor skies.
It went with pictures, sculpture, table.
I mixed as much as I was able,
then called the painter and asked him when
he could paint my room again.
This time I watched as he covered up
wall after wall from my mixing cup.
Now four layers grace my sala wall
each over each, one under all.
White, then orange, yellow and
that lovely concoction mixed by my hand.
In other rooms, each wall I made
a different hue of blue or jade
or red or mustard, orange or gold.
My house is varied and very bold.
Guests say they like the colors I chose
but when they see the gold or rose,
they cannot possibly suppose
how many colors are under those!
The Prompt: orange. and also, Hello, Goldilocks–Write about a time you had a Goldilocks experience, exploring different choices and finally arriving at “just right.” https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/daily-prompt-4/
What fun colors!
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Oh No, I have bought two large pots of Mountain Rain green to cover two of my lounge walls. I wished I’d seen yours first, especially as it is so cold here. I love the sun and your room evokes that feeling.
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your title was too good for me to pass up. i’m dealing with paint colors right now so your pain is easy to relate to. thankfully the final decision on color isn’t mine to make, i’m just lending a helping eye.
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Hue rocked the colors and the poem, Judy.
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Pingback: Daily Prompt; Hello, Goldilocks! | tnkerr-Writing Prompts and Practice
Delightful! Incidentally, BRIS in Hebrew means circumcision (also pronounced BRIT), so now I am wondering about various hues of circumcision. Where my funky mind travels…
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Thanks, Ms. Kool. I hadn’t thought of this. Nor did I remember that old color poem. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. You always bring an interesting dimension to any conversation.
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Thank you, Judy! I think it’s the difference in backgrounds and life experiences that enriches everybody.
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Reblogged this on The AAAmazing Phoenix.
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