Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Rouge de Guerre



image from pinterest.com 

Rouge de Guerre


“There is a shade of red for every woman.”

--Audrey Hepburn.


I’m kind of a big shot

in the color spectrum,

part of the trinity of

primary colors--hand

in hand with yellow and blue.

I’m kind of the Gemini in the group,

symbolizing everything from

l’amour to la guerre.


I am the vigorous hue

at the end of the visible light spectrum.

I have a brilliantly mantled clan

of cousins, from yelllow-tinged

scarlet and vermillion to blueish-

red crimson, or pinkish-blue violet,

to pale petal pink to deep red burgundy,

or dusky rubies and weather-worn brick,

from almost black currant to apple and

berry jams.


All mammals can see me,

but dogs and cattle can not.

They only see yellow & blue.

I seem gray to them.

Yes, that means a bull can’t see

red--he is just irritated by the

movement of the cape.


Most folks just call me Red,

but I vastly prefer Rojo.

My esthetic side leads to

love, passion, lust, shame,

embarrassment and orgasm.

My malevolent side leads to

conflict, combat, war, danger

and Satan.


From day one to wound one

I have been associated with blood,

secondary to oxygenated hemoglobin.

Christ, wines and divers religions

have made me a popular

cornerstone.


I am proud to be wedding dresses 

in India, and flags in Japan and China,

flapping in every language. I remember

well a 1,000 B.C. when prehistoric men

mixed me from ochre for their cave art.


I am a power color.

Extroverts adore me.

From power ties (except for Trump’s)

to sleek sports cars,

I will get your attention.

I can make you hungry or horny,

can designate you as saint or sinner,

and accompany Cardinals

as feathered breasts

and Vatican robes.


Yellow and Blue are OK,

like unleavened bread is OK, 

but when it comes to energy and power--

I’m your Guy.



Glenn Buttkus


Posted over at d'Verse Poet's Pub  

14 comments:

Jenna said...

Very good! I like how thoroughly you examined this color, even through the eyes of other animals. Suggestion: change "le guerre" to "la guerre" -- that was a little jarring to my French-speaking self. :)

robkistner said...

Bloody wonderful roller coaster journey through rojo bro. You hit every crest and drop and rocketed us around a huge curve of facts — wrll written mu friend!

Mish said...

Loved the details and info. You encompassed it all...or I should say RED did. He's kind of an arrogant fellow, but he owns it.

JadeLi said...

You did red up right, Glenn.

Ron R said...

rojo has the mojo

Kim M. Russell said...

Red definitely has its own agenda and a powerful voice, which you’ve explored so thoroughly in this poem, Glenn. It does indeed symbolise everything from ‘l’amour to la guerre’, depending on your culture. ‘Vigorous hue’ is a great way to describe red, with so many shades. I love the stanza about how animals see red.

ben Alexander said...

Very cleverly written, Glenn.

I loved this:

.Most folks just call me Red,
but I vastly prefer Rojo.


It made me chuckle.

Yours,
David

Ingrid said...

Oh yes, Red is all of those things! A true extrovert colour explored in all its multifaceted glory. It would be great to hear you read this :-)

Sabio Lantz said...

Hilarious! Well done. Red never had a better name.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Now this deserves a standing ovation! What a "red" definition! I especially love; "I have a brilliantly mantled clan of cousins, from yelllow-tinged scarlet and vermilion to blueish- red crimson, or pinkish-blue violet.." you bring the colour to life in this poem.๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’

Dwight L. Roth said...

I love your poem Glenn! Red is outstanding. It is at the heart of all the is, from blood to lava flows! Well done!

brudberg said...

Red is so much... the love and the blushing from rage... so many things, but to me, it always go back the blood...

Ken Gierke said...

A "full spectrum," or gauntlet, of color in just one.

Kim Whysall-Hammond said...

I love this detailed personification of Red!