'off-Colour'
‘OFF-COLOUR’
It really was curious; it really was strange:
The day that the colours decided to change.
It really was freakish; it really was weird:
When all of the colours weren’t what they appeared.
The police cars were purple with green lights on top
And riding inside were pink-uniformed cops;
Lights switched to red when they meant you to go
And green clouds dissolved into brown flakes of snow.
The fruit was confusing- bananas were blue;
An orange just wasn’t-well, what do you do?
Do you call it a ‘turquoise’- for that was its shade?
And the children rejected that black cherryade.
Teams all changed sports’ kits; ref’s cards weren’t the same;
And Rudolph the reindeer’s own song was renamed.
The dwarfs asked each other ‘Will Snow...Thing exist?’
Whilst the wolf laughed and snarled: ‘Little Red won’t be missed!’
No blackbirds; no bluebells; no green grass in parks.
The sun glared a deep- grey and daytime was dark.
We wore yellow poppies in memory of war
But nobody knew what they really were for.
None of us realised that we had changed too;
But gradually noticed, saying ‘Hey, look at you!’
Black people had brown skin and white were now black;
Brown people were white now-there’s no turning back.
It really was curious; it really was strange:
The day that the colours decided to change.
It really was freakish; it really was weird:
When all of the colours weren’t what they appeared.
COLIN TRENHOLME
Copyright © Colin Trenholme | Year Posted 2018
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment