What color is make-believe, you ask?
It is the color of time that never runs out,
the sun streaming over a land where
children are kings and queens,
It is the heart of Middle-earth
The color of Cinderella’s tears,
the color of beauty who loved the beast
Pinocchio’s lies and the virtue of knights,
the spell of witches and hope in the
Wizard of Oz, a magic carpet ride
It is the color of your cape.
What color is make-believe, you ask?
It is the color of Mom’s laughter unbridled
with burden, the color of ache
she buries in loving memory,
It is her morning song
It is the color of her wildest
dreams come true.
A Holistic Journey 
There it is. 🙂
HA.
=)
Marvelous verse with amazing lyrical imagery 🙂 I just love it!
*Grin* Thanks, Morgan. Nice hearing from you.
I love it! Believe in the magic and mystery of it all.
Indeed.
Inspiring and beautiful poem for moms!
=) Thanks, Kate. Glad you liked.
I loved that!!!! Thanks for sharing Diana…..(oh and my cape is red) haha
Rolain
Ha ha ha. They usually are, R.
hahaha….
I wanna see a pic of you with your cape!
I will try and make that happen….!
Oh my!! This IS so whimsical…I love each line, each verse…the rhythm flows like water in a creek. This line stood out for me and may inspire a poem …Pinocchio’s lies and the virtue of knights,..wow! you write beautifully, Diana.
Well, that’s very nice to hear, O. It was completely unlike me. Didn’t simmer long like most of my poems. Many loved that question of Tennyson’s so I thought I’d run with it. I’d love to see what you come up with. =)
Xxx
I may go more with the last verse, it made me think of my mom …a lot.
Awww. Awesome.
We always had to get by cheaply when we did things for kids and grandkids because we never had much money. Our kids got the empty refrigerator boxes or packing boxes and the grandkids got the capes. I usually bought yardage of the glitzy stuff which made them feel like kings and queens. Give a kid a box or a piece of cloth and he can imagine anything. ❤
Exactly. I’ve mentioned the need to help our kids recover simplicity and its riches in their play and learning. Precious story, Beth.
iLike!! 🙂
Beautiful imagery, Diana. You took me back to fairytales.
A distant country (CS Lewis, not my words)
longing
hope
We all need.
=)
I love it. Let him mull over your answer to his question….
=) He does love my poetry so I shall read this to him, Howard. Thanks.
I love how you have used this line “It is the color of your cape.”, it seems an odd thing to do to have it as a solitary line cut adrift from the stanzas, but it works. It is such a brilliant image that answers so many questions and turns a good poem into a very good poem indeed. Well done for isolating like you did.
It also begs the question, “Why do I not have a cape?”
Soon, very soon, I shall no longer be a capeless adult…
Thanks for sharing Diana,
Mark
LOL LOL You have quite a keen eye on poem constructions, Mark. And shame on you for having been capeless. Off you go now…
Thanks so much for the clear feedback. (And yes, the single line as is was intentional as you know every word and form of my work are.)
You such a beautiful writer with a mother’s heart. This little phrase has been spinning in your brain ever since T said the words, right? It certainly has been circulating in mine and I’m so thrilled to see your beautiful interpretation. Just perfect. xo
Actually, it was readers like you who loved the line as you did that inspired me to run with it. =) Apart from all the feedback, I would have just moved on. And I am a slow (careful) writer. I normally don’t roll ’em out so quickly. Just came together, this one.
Thanks, my friend. Very happy to have you here this morning.
Diana
Very beautiful HW. A great many of our “concepts” can be cross-linked exactly like that. It feels so “right” to do so. For instance, in the color spectrum, energy is equated to color as the higher freq colors -i.e. red – have higher energy and we associate red with heat or power (red sports cars – high energy). My understanding is that when they taught Hellen Keller colors, they placed a hot ball in her hand for red and a cool ball in her hand for blue. Red is usually associated with high emotions – we say someone “warms” our heart when we feel emotionally attached. Blue is usually cool as in water or sky.
Anyway, I could go on, I’m sure you see the flow. It seems our universe was built that way by God deliberately – many concepts running thorugh multiple applications. When you look for it, it becomes apparent everywhere. For instance, the best definition I’ve heard of Love is from Socrates who said in Plato’s Republic that it was “The desire to be one with”. Obviously that’s a rough cut but seem very applicable and contains the central concept – attraction. Now that is for the emtional world. In the physical world Gravity is defined as “All mass attracts” – the same central concept as “The desire to be one with” – attraction. Now how can the major driving force of our human emotional world be the same as the major driving force of the physical world? God at work again. We seem to intuitively understand this, if not intellectually. I heard a great line in a “Twilight” movie where the werewolf who dearly loves Bella, says: “It is no longer Gravity that keeps me attached to this planet but Love.”
All that to say that the ability to express say emotions in color, is exactly resonant with the way the world was designed and built by God. One of His mysteries that allows us to bounce between apparently intellectually unrelated concepts in describing and discovering His creation. When Einstein first imagined his theory of relativity he did so with the image of the Earth (ar any mass) sitting on a space/time continuum represented by a rubber sheet. The mass “dimples” the sheet and such was the beginning of Relativity. (In other words, mass “bends” time, which we have since proven is true.)
So, that’s my verbose way of saying – excellent poetry HW, resonant of the true structure of life and the universe as it is built by God. Great post!
Would you believe that I actually got you? Perfectly? =) It’s HOListic Momma, yes. I didn’t realize he’d said that to Bella. I refused to watch the movies. No time to go into why not. I like the connection of mass and time.
As I shared with Dalo under Words Betw Mom and Boy, I did this a lot in teaching my public and private students poetry, to cross sensory details one right into another. Right after posting the reply to him, I got to work on this piece because many of you had really liked this line among Tennyson’s ques. And it is by far not my best poem, but thanks. I was satisfied because it didn’t have to be striking the way I would normally want it to be. It stood on its own for its own reasons.
Thanks again for keeping up, P.
The colour of innocence is what inspired me to believe in evrything. As a child I built worlds to climb them through fantasy. The game made me free and the mom´s love was the coluor I needed to make dissapear from memory pain and fears.
I wish I Understood.
Beautiful. Appreciate your sharing.
Hi-
Your mission should you decide to accept (in the words to James Phelps MI) is to explain the colour blue to a man born blind.
Ah yes, for years, my email has been colorstorm98, for some of the very reasons you write about.
Good stuff-
all the best
jack
*Lop-sided smile*
Wonderful. Thanks, Jack.
Diana
Just made a jorney to my childhood. Thank you for your beautiful poetry!
-) Sweet. Thanks for letting me know, Inese.
Xxx
Diana
Reblogged this on Mcnierdy's Window and commented:
Love this!!
Thanks, my friend.
You’re very welcome
That is beautiful + you are very talented…you captured it perfectly in words….my first thought was -the color of make-believe is a rainbow…”.I never want to grow up” just like Peter Pan- the best part of being a kid was make-believe!:-) thank you for sharing-all mothers should believe in make-believe!
EVERYone should – not just moms. =)
And I appreciate the warm feedback, Robbie.
Beautiful!
Thank you, Claire. =)
The color of make-believe is in the faces appearing in the clouds, It is in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, It is in the wind beneath the dragon’s wings,…. Oh I could go on and on. I just LOVED this.
I did think o’ those, actually. =) Wanted to name the ones less thought of. *wink* But yeah, thanks for reeling off the endless list, N.
Xxx
haha Yes I know the rainbow is quite redundant. But then make-believe just feels incomplete without them no:)?
We can see anything and everything in
Make-Believe.
*wink*
I remember fondly my make-believe world as a child. Too bad those innocent days had to end.
I didn’t have time to read all the comments but does your son know he inspired this incredible piece with his creative question?? LOVE!
I haven’t had a chance to really explain that yet or read him the piece. =) Very busy day. It was he but even more so, actually, the first crew of commenters who inspired this because they loved that line so much. One wrote down this particular question and posted it on the wall. Awww….I know! That put me to work… =) Thanks, Steph. Sweet having you share in today’s special fun.
That’s my Holistic Journeyor!
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Sing HO!!!! for the life of a BEAR….
Sing HO!!!! for the great expedi-TION…
“Pooh Bear marching*
Somehow I have pictured you a bit like the mum from Brave. Funny you should mention another bear!
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
LOL on the quote. That’s my son!!!
I dunno BRAVE.
*Head in sand*
Just how had you pictured me?
A glimpse
I usu. hate watching stuff. No time. But this was cool. I only wish I caught the answer to my question here ha ha ha. It was mostly about the girl and I guess the guy. So you meant this post made you see me as strong-headed or you had already seen me that way?
No, she is a good mother but strict. It’s a long story, but girl rebels against strict mother, tries to change her, ends up over-doing it and almost loses mother, they both grow through it. I pictured you as the good mother, tough, intellectual, running a tight ship, won’t take much guff, but loving and playful too.
*Side grin* Actually, you got me down, Joan. Thank you for taking the time to explain. Meaningful to me, this. T LOVES it when I start rockin’ and shakin’ to his drumming. Each time I think I should blog the duo at it. My hips, my butt are going – thought you guys might get a kick. =)
Xxxx
Diana
Rock on!
Those who refollowed subscribed by email this time through the button on my sidebar. But no expectation. I am a little busy here if you saw. Wiped out.
Keep writing, Joan.
I just can’t handle the scads of emails. Hopefully re-following from the reader will move you back up the list.
Don’t blame you on #$%! about emails.
Love it!!! All those things are the color oof make-believe! Blessings and hugs, N 🙂
Ha ha ha thanks, my dear lovely woman.
Fabulous.
=) Thanks so much.
Diana
Beautiful!
Thanks, my friend. Glad you enjoyed.
Good answer 🙂
Love it! I’ll bet conversation with you over a cup of coffee would be fun.
Ha ha ha. Likewise, Mona.
Such a perfect, beautifully written poem that I think your son is going to treasure forever… “It is the color of time that never runs out” is perfect, as it is the reflection of the love between you & your son. Your words flow so naturally, and it was easy for me to get lost in all that magic and mystery of the mind of a child ~ and the part of the mind of adults that we often forget about…thank you very much for bringing out these great emotions 🙂 One of my favorite poems of the year!
Ha ha ha. Quite a lovely surprise, Randall, such a response. As I said to a reader, I in no way believe this is one of my best poems but was satisfied it stood on its own merit. Love your thought on not only the mind of children but adults. I smiled writing it right on the heels of our chat over your own childhood moments with ur mother and our talk of poetry. Thanks for taking the time this wk.
Diana
This is awesome, love it! Lately whenever the 5 year old asks a question I can’t answer (do ghosts have brains?), I text them to my friend so she can ask her 5 year old who always comes back with an answer (of course, how else would they fly). And she sends me her questions for answers. I’ll ask them your title question.
Diana, I believe you’ve captured a rainbow of fairy tales in your lovely poem. It brought back lovely memories of all the books my children and I have read together–precious memories. Treasure these moments, as they are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
=) Thx for sharing in this.
I never thought of make believe having a color before, Diana. But you are so right- and I think it may have a texture and a smell too!! You make me think of my favorite childish things.
=) We all could use thinking of our fav things from the magical land of childhood. I wouldn’t have thought to put out this post if people hadn’t loved this line of Tennyson’s. =)
Beautiful Diana. The moment I read the question I thought what a wonderful prompt for a story – because it’s innocent yet profound. And here you’ve already captured it in a poem…
” The moment I read the question I thought what a wonderful prompt for a story ”
Of course, the writer you are. =)
I usu. don’t roll out poems so quickly; they simmer a while. But I think it was the energy of the responses that day. =) Many of you loved that question of his and it just came together.
Awesome
LOL THANK you. =)
Sweet dreams are made of this…
xo
K
=)
Very nice poem for moms… Thanks for sharing…
Just lovely.
Thanks, Anna. =)
For me the colour of make believe is the colour of my boys’s eyes, the smell of their hair, the sound of their laughter. It makes me want to believe so much that they will be living happily ever after!
“they will be living happily ever after!”
Want to say Amen to that.
i love this poem you wrote this poem nicely
Thank you.
The land of make-believe might well be the real one! Lovely, Diana! I’ve shared on FB.
Aww…thanks so much, my friend.
Love,
Diana
Delightful and evocative of my own memories of make-believe. –Dennis
Appreciate the thoughtful feedback, Dennis. =)
Diana
Beautiful ❤
=) Thanks, my friend.
Amazing poem! I have a poetry and art blog too called Harboring the Light. I love your imagery and the imagination behind the verse 🙂
I wish I could write you the smile that poem put in my heart. A thank-you will have to do.
Smiling back, David.
Smiling back. Thanks.
Thank-you.