Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Muckraker



image from paramojunt.com

 Muckraker


“I yam what I yam.” --Popeye.


Yeah, yeah,

you can talk until

you’re blue in the face

about the shades and types

of Blue, but be aware

I am the only true and pure

blue.


My name is Cyan.

I am a bit of a shade shifter.

Blue is the light spectrum

between violet and green.

I reside exactly midway

between the two,

wave lengths between 490-520nm.


My opposite hue is red.

When you mix us together

we create “white light”,

kundalini spiritual energy.


Light tango-dances on my chest,

and I am mistaken for teal & aqua.

Only superb cones in the

finest retinas can see me

as I am--Cyan blue.


Do you remember

that online debate

as to the color of “the Dress”

I am sort of like that,

but I take great pride

in who and what I am,

a thoroughbred.


I am that shallow water

over a white sand beach.

I am the sparkling dome

of the Tilla Kari Mosque

in Uzbekistan.

I am the planet Uranus

as seen from Voyager II,

surrounded by methane gas.

Methane absorbs red

and reflects as blue-green,

so I suppose I am the color

of bovine flatulence.

I am the natural gas flame

when mixed with oxygen.

I am the color of your skin

when your body is deprived of oxygen.

Sadly I’m named after Cyanide gas.

Attsa’ me, warts and all.



Glenn Buttkus


Posted over at d'Verse Poet's Pub

17 comments:

indybev said...

Oh dang you, Glenn. Now when I think of blue I'll be thinking of cow farts! .... excuse me, of course I meant bovine flatulence!

Maria L. Berg said...

I loved this poem. The specific scientific details are folded in so well and the personification has a great voice.

JadeLi said...

I think of that blue in the flames when birch logs burn, such a hypnotic color. I really love that image of Popeye you chose.

Kerfe said...

This reminds me of my days as a textile designer, trying to mix and exact match to the yarn color. I do believe the colors were often taunting me, as cyan does here.

Ken / rivrvlogr said...

"warts and all" -- It's still a beautiful color.

Susan Joy Clark said...

This was certainly creative and unique, had an interesting, humorous tone to it. "Bovine flatulence" was surprising for sure. :)

Dwight L. Roth said...

I love it Glenn. That is one tough looking Popeye! Your Personality is a real science lesson. I liked this...
but I take great pride

in who and what I am,

a thoroughbred.

I smell you!! :>)

Truedessa said...

ha - I loved the opening verse - you can talk until you're blue in the face...you do have a way with words, the whole piece was interesting.

Kim M. Russell said...

I love the conversational tone of this poem, Glenn, which feels like sitting next to your character in a bar, and the excellent personification of Cyan, the ‘shade shifter’, interwoven with interesting facts and light tango dancing on his chest. My favourite lines:
‘I am that shallow water
over a white sand beach’
and
‘I am the natural gas flame’, which reminds me of school science lessons with Bunsen burners.

Ingrid said...

You chose an unusual and fascinating shade of blue here Glenn. So many great lines:

'Do you remember

that online debate

as to the color of “the Dress”

I am sort of like that,'

I do remember that, so I can picture this colour, and then 'the color of bovine flatulence' - amazing!

Ron Rowland said...

Well stated, and thank you for the education.

robkistner said...

What a crescendo of blueness here Glenn. Fascinating — you yam what you yam dude!

RedCat said...

You had me at the Popeye image. And the smile just got bigger and bigger as I read it through. ��

Ricardo Andrade said...

I am the color

of bovine flatulence

Unknown said...

I am the color

of bovine flatulence

grapeling said...

charming!

brudberg said...

Oh, I love the color of cow's fart... still it's a lovely color