You Can Have All the Oranges
Pink’s been reserved for babies. Black and blue are much abused.
You need only look at nature to see green’s been overused.
You would not like the fuchsia, it is gaudy and distracting.
And yellow’s like an ingenue who’s been caught overacting.
White’s not really there at all and scarlet is too flashy.
Tan can be depressing. Gold lamé is simply trashy.
Silver strands among the gold by some are found distressing.
Flesh a color that’s best seen only while undressing.
Gray is simply nondescript. It looks like white that’s dirty,
and day-glo colors best reserved for people under thirty.
Deep purple is too moody and mauve is also glum,
as are other purples like heather, puce and plum.
Taupe’s a mousy color—too boring to be worn,
and gold they’re holding in reserve for bankers (and for corn.)
But you can have the oranges from tangerine to peach—
all the tints and shades and tones that are within your reach.
Pluck oranges from the color tree a dozen at a time.
I’ve no use for a color that has no words that rhyme.
This silly poem came about as a result of a family story much-told. When my mother and father made a trip to Appalachia, they were waiting at a train station and saw a woman with a number of children. One little boy was especially fussy and kept pulling at a lumpy and heavy-looking bag that his mother was carrying in the arm that wasn’t holding the baby. The train was pulling into the station and that little boy was balking and holding up their progress toward the train platform when the mother called out to him in a harried voice, “You can have all the ahr-anges you wants when you git on the train!” It has been a much-used family saying ever since, especially useful when someone is holding up the act!
My ending line actually came about as I was trying to find a word to rhyme with orange and realized there weren’t any. I believe it is somewhat famous for this fact. Well, that and the sunset!
And koolkosherkitchen brought this other “orange” poem from two years ago to my attention as well: https://judydykstrabrown.com/2015/03/22/hue-bris/
The prompt word today was orange.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
Love the poem and the story and pics that go with it. Beautiful!
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Thanks, Skinnybranches. These old family stories are all so corny but they acquire the value of age.
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I ate candy corn the same way you did, by the way, but have never managed to let a Hershey’s kiss melt on my tongue. No self-restraint! Couldn’t find a place to comment on your blog….
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That’s so odd…I get comments daily…not sure why not with this post…thank you for letting me know.
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I probably just couldn’t find where your comments were, but I looked and looked. Like trying to find my glasses or keys.
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This one is really outstanding. I have no idea how you are able to do this time after time.
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It’s in my blood! I neglect other things to do so. Guess retirement is the time we can get away with that.
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Family stories like that give rise to some wonderful sayings! My family answers “dumb questions” with “Well first you take an egg — “ — somebody a generation or two ago asked how to blow an egg!
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No rhyme for purple, either 🙂
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How about maple surple???
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Or, silver. Luckily, one can just put them in the middle of the line.
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You did very well with the rhyming anyway. So there.
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Are you back from your dinner?
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Completely original. Loved the pics that went with it.
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Bellas imágenes!!!
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