Thursday, May 20, 2010

Messages In Red

THERE WAS A TOSSED salad of debris in my backyard. The fence surrounded the mess like a big wooden bowl. Picking up the bits and pieces of broken branches, I hoped to see the chickadees return to the birdhouse that swayed so forcefully in the wind last night. Although I heard lots of chirping this morning, I saw no birds.



Like the crow gets attracted to shiny objects, my focus inevitably turned to something other than the backyard birds that tend to catch my attention. This pick of photos explains why the colour red is my glittery jewel. When it comes to flowers, to me, a vivid shade of red amid the greenery is like discovering a flash of vitality or a beacon of light.

When I notice someone wearing a red coat or hat, I deduce that the wearer is a confident individual less fearful than most.

The red maple leaf on the Canadian flag burns a flicker of pride in me.

There is an underside to red that suggests hot tempers and the potential for violence in mankind and nature.

There is also the peaceful side of red in the evening when a sunset brings the day to its restful conclusion.

Sometimes red screams, "Stop! You have gone far enough."

1 comment:

  1. I love the "glittery jewel" analogy, and never had put together quite the variety of responses to red. Vitality, light, passion, pride, violence, restfulness and even, the command to halt. Red, in some cultures, indicates wealth and good fortune, and in others, danger. When correcting English, I use a green pen for some students, as red is offensive to them. It is Bill's favourite colour, and I have come to appreciate its complexities, in spite of previously being sure that blue was "my" colour. Anyhow, this was a fun post, but I do hope the chick-a-dees are just biding their time before returning home.

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