Beginning Crayon Colors -#1 - Jungle Green

This week's prompt for my small writer's group is really exciting, allowed me to go to the store and buy a box of 96 brand new Crayola crayons. The second poem I wrote reminded me that even crayons can't bring back my childhood innocence.

First the prompt (thanks Peg. This is a good one):

Here is my idea for this week's prompts:
Go out and purchase a large box of Crayons--the kind with many colors.

For each day this week, choose a color from the box at random and look at its name. Color a large square in with the color you have chosen and really concentrate on it and on its name.

Then write!

Misnamed Jungle Green (prompted by the color on paper)

Soft sea aqua, color of summer romance.
I had a prom dress this color, with it's
own lace jacket. Mama made both pieces
carefully, chose the color to complement
my hair, played well with innocence at sixteen.

Victoria Hendricks
May 10, 2010

Jungle Green (prompted by the name)

I wish I were not in
a mood in which
the name Jungle Green
evokes blood red.
Too much violence
in jungles, boy against
boy, nation against
nation, human against
wildness. Boys bleed red.
I wonder if ancient, dying
trees bleed Jungle Green.

Victoria Hendricks
May 10, 2010

These bits of draft have been haunting me. They seem to need combining. I don't think I'm done with them yet, but here is how they stand now.

Jungle Green

Crayon misnamed Jungle Green
colors paper soft sea aqua,
innocent as summer romance.
like the prom dress Mama sewed
so carefully with it's own lace jacket,
Ocean aqua played well at sixteen
before images of jungle green
evoked red blood shed in jungle war,
boy against boy, nation against nation,
human against wildness
Boys bleed red. Perhaps the blood
of innocence colors paper jungle green.

Victoria Hendricks
May 13, 2010