[stylist] color/rainbow prompt response

Sat Apr 6 21:35:05 UTC 2013

Lynda,
I really felt like a million dollars after reading your e-mail. Not for just
one identifiable reason, but for many: you said "pissed off" which made me
laugh, and you were so honest about everything that all of us feel or have
felt. Sometimes people are most likeable when they get mad!
I think my poem about rainbows could be identified as "pie in the sky." I
think I was trying to respond to the pride shown by members of their spirit
and hard work, and accepting no condescending actions from the seeing world.
Whatever the rainbow colors of our lives, with multiple disabilities, life
becomes hard work.
Perhaps poetry is just a way of making lemonade out of lemons.
I will remove the asterisk.
I'm not having enough time to truly critique all of those on this list. So
this is short.
My admiration,
Jackie

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda Lambert
Sent: Friday, April 05, 2013 3:20 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response

I can sure understand why you said that. You are an amazing woman and I have

always loved reading your work.

But, to be honest, being blind is a bitch to me, and it pisses me off - in 
plain old language. However, I am not really angry - but take things in 
stride and have plunged forward with life as it is. But, it is most 
definitely very inconvenient.  When I hear people here talk about how great 
it is to be blind, I think they are on another planet, in some parallel 
universe.  I sure don't live in the same world they do and I definitely 
never ever see people as Blind or Sighted, like it is a culture or a special

group. I have no particular bias against people who can see well,
because there are just stupid people of all sorts, blind or sighted. Horror 
stories go both ways - but then, I have not had a lifetime of dealing with 
such challenges so who am I to say? Cynicism is not healthy for anyone.

I won't be singing the glories of sight loss nor celebrating it in any way, 
anytime soon, and probably never.
I like the driver's seat; I like planning my own moves; and I love being in 
complete charge of everything around me, so for me, it's a bitch! Of course,

I never say this to anyone around me.

OK, back to your poem. I agree that it sounds completely different when 
hearing it via a synthetic voice - but if you could hear a human reading it 
aloud, it works very well.  Why not take it to your poetry group, and have 2

people read it - no two people ever read a poem the same way. It is always 
good to hear at least 2 or 3 different people read the same poem to really 
get the feel of it.

Your extended lines really even it out - because most of the time rhyming 
end words really make things stilted and confined, and often make a serious 
poem sound silly; but the extended lines (your enjambment) does help give it

some space.

The asterisk, I forgot to mention. I agree with Chris. It came across to me 
as a typo, which I meant to let you know was there. It does not work in the 
way you were hoping it would - to divide the poem into two parts. You don't 
need to do that, because with your words you have taken us from one time 
frame to another very well, I think.
Lynda, who is actually in a really great mood this evening!  haha

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 05, 2013 1:22 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response

> Lynda,
> Thanks so much for catching that spelling error. I must not have used my
> spell checker. I usually make it a point but if I make changes later,
> sometimes I forget.
> Also, do you know if I should use the term "blest" or blessed?" It has to 
> be
> one syllable, but "blessed is often pronounced as one syllable.
> Most likely, most blind people would go back if they could, but I think 
> age
> has something to do with it. At 84, I most likely could not drive again, 
> and
> I was a nervous wreck over other drivers. Not being able to see what is
> going on, I relax and can concentrate on what a lovely or interesting 
> person
> my driver is!
> Also, I do not have to shop for every holiday and birthday, for I do not
> have that kind of help. I can write a poem or a check or make a special
> call, or all three.
> I know who my true friends are for they stop in to see me.  Since I have
> severe hearing problems and balance due to the removal of the cochlea in 
> my
> left ear, my choice would be to go back and not have Menieres Syndrome.
> Blind people can learn to do a great deal and remain connected with loved
> ones. Without hearing, much of life's pleasures simply evaporate. With no
> balance, the threat of falling is ever present. To my knowledge, they have
> yet to make a walker, or mobile device for blind people.
> I guess everyone has to pick their poison.
> Thanks for your comments.
> Jackie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda 
> Lambert
> Sent: Friday, April 05, 2013 7:26 AM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response
>
> I only have a few minutes, so I wanted to drop you a note on your poem.
> Really lovely!
>
> Iridescent is how to spell the word - unless you spelled it wrong on
> purpose?
>
> I love the colors of glass. I am an antique and vintage glass collector 
> for
> many years - so this all gave me vivid impressions of each kind you have
> mentioned. (I used to have 3 antique shop and specialized in vintage and
> antique glass - with a specialty in West Virginia glass makers.)
>
> Those things surround me every day - exquisite examples of colors in your
> poem.
>
> It sounded just fine to me - I love the way you used the extended lines
> throughout the poem - that makes it tricky to read and causes the reader 
> to
> really think as they read it - because the vision wants to rush ahead and
> see what is coming next. Since I can actually see your poem by using
> Zoomtext, it makes far more sense than it does when I listened to it on
> JAWS.
>
> I would not change anything, except the work Iridescent if you want to do
> that.
>
> Go back? Like, right now.
>
> Lynda
> Lynda Lambert
> 104 River Road
> Ellwood City, PA 16117
>
> 724 758 4979
>
> My Blog:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
> My Website:  http://lyndalambert.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2013 5:55 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response
>
>
>> Chris, I am so grateful for your wonderful, insightful article about the
>> aspects of being blind, and the scientific explanation of the rainbow. 
>> And
>> Barbara, I want to thank you for suggesting the rainbow prompt.
>> Also, the responses of Donna, Lynda, Bridget, Myrna and also their poems.
>> I
>> think I forgot someone.
>> Because of the extensive conversation about color, and some thoughts of
>> resentment about the sighted looking down on us, I was prompted to write
>> my
>> own poem.
>> Though my color vision is dimming so quickly, like Lynda, my memory is as
>> vivid as though there has been no change.
>> I have made an attachment as it is rhymed couplets, and in my experience,
>> if
>> I copy and paste, it will come through as anything but that.
>> I intend to submit it as a theme poem to the AZ State Poetry Society's
>> spring festival. The theme is Something simple, or something beautiful. I
>> would appreciate critiques.
>> Jackie
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris 
>> Kuell
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 1:05 PM
>> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response
>>
>> Here are my musings about Barbara's prompt the other day.
>>
>>
>> Reflections on Colors and Rainbows
>>
>>
>>
>> By Chris Kuell
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "We do not understand what this means - to 'see'."
>>
>> "Well, it's what, what things look like," Meg said helplessly.
>>
>> "We do not know what things look like, as you say," the beast said. "We
>> know
>> what things are like. It must be a very limiting thing, this seeing."
>>
>> "Oh no," Meg cried. "It's the most wonderful thing in the world."
>>
>> "What a very strange place your world must be," the beast said. "That 
>> such
>
>> a
>> peculiar seeming thing should be of such importance."
>>
>>
>>
>> From A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> What is your favorite color? What color is a rainbow?
>>
>> These questions were posted on a listserve of blind writers recently.
>> Simple
>> questions, questions that nearly any three-year-old can answer without a
>> moment's hesitation, and yet they left me a little dumbfounded. My
>> favorite
>> color? I suppose I could answer green, because that's the color 
>> associated
>> with money, and I can always use more of that. Or red, because a cooked
>> lobster is red, and I love lobster. But of course, the meat of the 
>> lobster
>> is actually white, and then I like to dip it in yellow butter, so what
>> color
>> does that make it? Perhaps flesh tone, because I love my wife, especially
>> touching my wife. But of course, what color is she? And what color are 
>> the
>> parts of her I like to touch most? Or maybe amber, which is the color of
>> my
>> favorite beer. At least, I think it's amber. It's a lager, which I think
>> is
>> darker than a regular beer, but not as dark as a dark beer. Or blue, it
>> might definitely be blue. The ocean is blue, and I love the feel of the
>> ocean, the sounds of the waves, the salty feel of the breeze, the
>> refreshing
>> cold on a hot summer day. But of course, the ocean can appear gray at
>> times,
>> and I've heard that in parts of the Caribbean it's almost a green color,
>> and
>> if you are underwater it's actually black.
>>
>>
>>
>> So what's my favorite color? I don't believe I have one. To me, colors 
>> are
>> things sighted people use to distinguish and describe things, but it has
>> little to no meaning to me in my life. I don't like lobster because of 
>> its
>> color, but because of its flavor. I don't like money for its color, I 
>> like
>> what I can do with it. It doesn't matter what color the ocean is, as long
>> as
>> it's cool and vast and full of energy and life. The beauty can't possibly
>> be
>> in the blue, but in the tides, the power of the waves, the roar in a
>> storm,
>> and the soothing calm at dawn.
>>
>>
>>
>> There was a time in life when I was very much a part of the world of
>> colors.
>> As a teenager, I wanted to become a professional photographer. I had
>> several
>> cameras, and even set up a darkroom in my parent's basement to process
>> photos. The right lighting, shades and color were very important in
>> capturing just the right image. In my early twenties, I fully restored a
>> 1969 Mach 1 Mustang, and lamented for weeks over what color to paint it.
>> Even when I had narrowed it down to blue, should I go with Acapulco Blue,
>> or
>> Grabber Blue? And what about racing stripes-flat black, regular, or 
>> glossy
>> black?
>>
>>
>>
>> Such angst disappeared from my world sixteen years ago when I lost my
>> sight.
>> And in all honesty, I don't miss it. My wife asks, "Do you want a red
>> bathing suit? They also have it in blue, green or black?" As long as it
>> fits, I don't care. It makes life much simpler. What color phone, what
>> color
>> ipod, what color suitcase do I want? Doesn't matter to me, as long as it
>> does the job I need it for. Right now I have no idea what color my jeans
>> are, or the tee shirt under the hoody I'm wearing, or the hoody for that
>> matter. All I know is that they fit, and they are comfortable. If I ever
>> come downstairs in the morning with a combination of clothing that
>> clashes,
>> my wife or daughter will let me know, and I may or may not change. 
>> Because
>> the truth is, I just don't care that much.
>>
>>
>>
>> Yes, I know we live in a predominately sighted world, and sighted folks
>> love
>> their colors. So much that apparently there are 47 different shades of
>> white
>> indoor paint at the Benjamin Moore store. I've heard people talking about
>> fifty shades of gray, but most say it's not worth the time and effort to
>> read. Regardless, I find it hard to believe that whether you choose
>> periwinkle or turquoise or robin's egg blue as the color to paint your
>> mailbox, it will make much difference to your overall quality of life.
>>
>>
>>
>> My ignorance has admittedly had its drawbacks. A couple of years ago I
>> went
>> on a mission trip with the youth group of my church to rebuild homes
>> destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Everybody's backpacks were unloaded into 
>> a
>> big pile, and when a guy who wanted to help asked, "What color is your
>> backpack?" I could only shrug my shoulders. It's a medium sized backpack,
>> with three primary zippers and a rubberized bottom to keep water out when
>> it's on the ground. It has a security pouch that velcro's into the first
>> zippered section for money and valuables, and a mesh divider in the 
>> second
>> section where I keep my diabetes supplies. I know exactly what it feels
>> like, and I know where everything is inside it. So, I helped pass out
>> backpacks until I found mine, and we continued on with our day.
>>
>>
>>
>> A couple of weeks ago my wife and I attended a party where the hostess
>> took
>> our jackets away and put them in a bedroom. When it was time to go, I
>> asked
>> one of the hostess's kids to show me where the coats were so I could get
>> mine. She said, "Oh, I'll get it for you. What color is it?"
>>
>>
>>
>> Damn. Such a simple question. "It's a winter coat, slippery vinyl type,
>> goes
>> down about halfway to my knees. It's got a hood, and it's got both a
>> zipper
>> and Velcro straps, and four pockets on the outside, one on the inside,
>> left
>> breast. My wallet is in the inside pocket, in the bottom left outside
>> pocket
>> is my glove, my keys, and a few tissues. Bottom right is my other glove
>> and
>> some glucose tablets. Upper left pocket has a granola bar in case my 
>> blood
>> sugar goes really low, and the upper right pocket has my cell phone in
>> it."
>>
>>
>>
>> The girl stood there for a second, then asked again, "But what color is
>> it?"
>>
>>
>>
>> I had her take me to the bedroom, where I located both me and my wife's
>> coats without much difficulty.
>>
>>
>>
>> I've given even less thought to rainbows these last years than I have to
>> colors in general. When my kids were young, I'd sometimes take them
>> outside
>> to look for a rainbow if there happened to be sunshine after a rain. Kids
>> love rainbows because to them, they are magical. They appear and 
>> disappear
>> seemingly at random, and rumor has it there are pots of gold and
>> leprechauns
>> to be found at their ends. One time when we were visiting my parents on
>> the
>> coast of Maine, the kids came home from a trip to the store with Grandma
>> just about peeing themselves with excitement. "Daddy! Daddy! We saw a
>> double
>> rainbow over the ocean!" For the kids sake, I acted all excited. I was
>> happy
>> for them. But really, what was the big deal?
>>
>>
>>
>> So what is a rainbow, anyway? Rather than magic, we must turn to science,
>> and a little background information. White light, or the light that comes
>> from the sun, is made up of waves of energy, much like the ocean. Some of
>> these waves are big, and some are smaller, and there's everything in
>> between. If we separate these waves of light energy, we find that they
>> have
>> what the human eye sees as different colors. The biggest waves have a red
>> color, and the smallest waves a blue/violet color. When white light is
>> separated loosely into different wavelengths, it's called refraction, and
>> is
>> commonly accomplished with a glass or hard, clear plastic prism. A prism
>> is
>> square on the bottom, a point on the top, and all four sides are
>> equilateral
>> triangles. Light goes in one side, and if the prism is in just the right
>> position, it gets refracted, then reflected off a different side inside
>> the
>> prism, so it comes out yet another side 'split' into the color spectrum.
>>
>>
>>
>> While water droplets are not prisms, they are similar. They're clear, a
>> perfect point at the top, and spherical on the bottom. If conditions are
>> just right, primarily after a rain, tiny water droplets remain present in
>> the air. If the clouds disperse, and the sun shines at just the right
>> angle,
>> the white light from the sun may be refracted by one side of the water
>> droplet, then reflected off the backside of the droplet, further 
>> refracted
>> as the light leaves the droplet, and appears as a color spectrum in the
>> air.
>> Since the walls of a water droplet are curved, rather than straight like 
>> a
>> prism's, the color spectrum appears as a curve, or an arch in the air. 
>> The
>> top of the arch is typically red, because that has the longest 
>> wavelength,
>> and purplish on the bottom, because that's the shortest. However, air
>> pollutants, the time of day, whether it's fresh or salty water-all these
>> factors can affect the colors of a rainbow. And as soon as the angle of
>> the
>> sun changes, or the number of water particles evaporate, the rainbow
>> disappears. Which does, I suppose, make it a little bit magical after 
>> all.
>>
>>
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