[stylist] color/rainbow prompt response

Sat Apr 6 21:49:22 UTC 2013

OK, Jackie, you are so honest and forthright in your posts. I just love you 
and wish I lived near  you so we could talk and get together. You are an 
amazing woman!
And, I do swear - and sometimes a lot. After all, I am still the woman in 
black leathers riding my bike in a cold spring storm, screaming down the 
highways of Pennsylvania mountains.

Actually, I am planning to write a RANT on blindness - now that I think 
about it.

Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 5:35 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response

> 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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>>
>>
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>>
>>
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