Breaking Down Colors

The poem begins:

Blue, yellow, green

are the colors that are seen

through young eyes

until innocence dies

and we learn what

Black and White

really means.

Blue , yellow, and green are a few of the main colors that we are learned in the early years of our development. During this time, a child’s main concern is just to have fun. As we grow older and become more aware; we start to learn the differences between boys and girls, black and white, etc. Thus, the innocence of being young begins to end once we realize that our experiences are based on our skin tone.

Imagination no longer fed

Blue lights

Yellow tape

Green eyed monsters

Red

This portion of the poem touches again on the loss of childhood innocence and how certain colors begin to have different meanings.

Blue lights = police car

Yellow tape= crime scene

Green eyed monsters= greed / jealousy

Red= blood

Faded rainbows and starless nights

Gunshots and endless fright

For a lot of minorities, happily ever after ends around second or third grade. There aren’t any rainbows and white picked fences. It’s the realization of gunshots and having to watch your back.

All the colors start to blend

Until they see the color of my skin

This line sums it up what it means to be black in today’s society. It doesn’t matter if an African American jay walks or is president of the United States, they will judge by the color of their skin instead of the merits of their character.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think of of the poem. What is your interpretation of it?