In the light of this poem, I wrote a piece, 'Colours', reproduced below. In the poem I thought more broadly about the different things colours can represent. With both of these poems in mind, students could think about which colours best represent them, and why.
Colours
Green
describes me.
It is
fresh and bright and vibrant.
It is a
colour that breathes oxygen
into
the universe.
Green
is replete with the dawning
of
possibilities.
It’s a
new-born idea springing into life;
it’s the
feeling of wet grass
in
summertime.
Red
describes me.
It is
angry, bitter, bubbling.
It is a colour that flashes a frown
and
gnashes its teeth.
Red is
fighting to escape its skin,
desperate
to punch, kick and maim.
It’s a
wild tiger in a tiny cage;
it’s a
toddler screaming
on a supermarket
floor.
Yellow
describes me.
It is
pale, sickly, withering.
It is a
colour that remains
when
the spirit has left.
Yellow
is a patient
in a hospital
bed.
It’s
the slow decay of blunted teeth;
it’s
your clothes coming out the dryer,
ruined.
