sara Etgen-Baker Poet Rhyme

Notes About The Poem

image of early color televisions - from flickr.com

*Although the first technicolor televisions were introduced in the early 1950s, my family didn’t purchase one until 1962. Technicolor televisions marked a significant transition from black-and-white to color broadcasting, enhancing the viewing experience for audiences. (Source: earlytelevision.org)

TECHNICOLOR

In the beginning,  
the world flickered in black-and-white  
shadows behaving, light staying in its lane,  
stories told in grayscale grammar.  

Then came the inventors,
the engineers coaxing color  
out of electrons and hope.  

Phosphors bloomed~  
tiny red, green, blue lanterns  
glowing on the inside of a glass cathedral,  
each dot a seed of awe  
waiting to burst open.  

And suddenly  
the living room became a futuristic sunrise.  
Technicolor spilled across the screen  
like someone had finally remembered  
to turn the world back on.  

Children leaned forward,  
their faces lit with wonderment,   
and parents whispering  
that nothing would ever look the same again~  
and they were right.  

Because color didn’t just arrive;  
it unfurled like a miracle,  
bright with promise~ 
and we huddle together  
in that warm electric glow  
watching the future  
teaching itself how to shine.  

You may read the accompanying memoir vignette at: poetrysoup.com/short_stories/technicolor_13892

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Gershon Wolf June 20, 2026 at 9:56 PM Yes, it was a wonder when color TV exploded across the living room screens... And now? Just another yawn. So it goes, gw

Alison A Smith June 20, 2026 at 2:48 PM Ok now my age is going to show. I remember when my family got our first television. It was black and white and we were the first family on our block to get one. It was so exciting. The advent of colour just made the whole world that little bit bigger.