[stylist] the synesthesia poem ... finally!

[Barbara Hammel]

Remember last spring when I wrote that pantoum on synesthesia?  Well, here’s a basic description of some of what goes on in my head.

  SYNESTHESIA
  By Barbara Hammel

The colors float in intricate ballet,
Weaving and unweaving a rainbow,
>From the darkest night of letterr D,
To J, as bright as new-fallen snow.

And all the oranges, pinks, reds, blues,
Purples, browns, yellows, greys and greens
Swirl majestically with every word,
Each sentence bringing forth new scenes.

"Why are you so good at anagrams?"
When letters are read or told to me
The unfamiliar color pattern
Whirls till a familiar one I see.

When called, they lightly trip to center stage,
And share the spotlight till I set them free,
Then back into their proper place they go,
Always neatly arranged from A to Z.

The numbers don't perform their dance so well,
They stand in wrong formation and miss cues --
Perhaps this is because Math.'s not my thing --
But they're also adorned in rainbow hues.

Is there any wonder now of my love
Of rainbows and how colors are wed?
You see, I need to be surrounded
With as much color as is in my head.

Some days I wish I could open my brain,
And spill out the excess colors in the air.
Writer's block for me is just so bright,
Too many colored thoughts are floating there

Weaving and unweaving a rainbow,
>From the purest white of letter J,
To D, as dark as the darkest night,
But I'd be lost if all the colors went away.



Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.--Robert Frost