Written for: dVerse Poets Pub – Poetics: Seeing Red! (posted by sarahsouthwest)
“Tonight, I want to celebrate the colour red. What a powerful colour it is – it always sends a strong message.
Let’s think for a moment about what it means.
Red is the colour of blood, and of fire. A white rose means purity, but a red rose means passion. Red is the colour of sunrise and sunset. It’s the colour of cherries. We all know that Snow White was given the rosy red side of the apple, while the wicked witch took the green side. Foolish girl!
Think about what a pair of red shoes means – dancing unstoppably. Or maybe a scarlet letter for a scarlet woman. Red lights mean danger.
In many Asian countries, red is the colour of celebration and brides wear red robes. And of course, red is the colour of the little red dots on Twitter and WordPress that tell you you’ve got a notification.”
The saddest color
is faded red. Life
gone out of it, drab.
While sun fades fabrics,
dying red roses curl
up their toes and turn
black. Old bloodstains
darken into sinister
pools. Red is vibrance
of life before the
illnesses come.
purplepeninportland 
Dried red roses do have a sad color.
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They do.
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You’ve made me think here. Yes, if red is life and passion, then there is nothing sadder than the loss of that life and passion. You say such a lot in this tight, disciplined poem. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks so much, Sarah. My pleasure!
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I found this fascinating….and something I’d never thought about. You’re right….red is vibrant but when it gets old, it really deteriorates. Excellent observation and well told here.
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Love that first line. You’re right about that. Nicely done.
Pat
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Thanks, Pat!
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This is a creative take. I was surprised by the title of your poem, wondering how red is sad, but you used striking imagery to explain.
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Thanks so much, Rev!
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