• Color Wheel Connotations, Watermelon Poem: How I Imagine Misogynists Were Taught to Pick Fruit

    color wheel connotations    

    my art teacher ever the whimsic
    says that colors are just complex emotions
    running her golden brown fingers along the edge of the color wheel
    she says that colors convey emotions
    like every good taylor swift lyric
    depending on context, colors can change
    red by itself 
    is angry 
    but red 
    tinted with yellow 
    and drizzled with passion fruit orange 
    is a glowing sunset smile
    my art teacher says that 
    depending on context, colors can change 
    like how gold on purple
    is europe in the middle ages
    but gold on silver
    is san francisco circa 1949
    like how black and yellow 
    is a bop
    but black and blue 
    is a bruise 
    maybe like how 
    black on white 
    is classy 
    but black on black is ghetto
    depending on colors, context may change 
    like how 
    gun on white 
    is a patriot
    but gun on color
    is a terrorist
    like how 
    crime on white 
    is mental illness
    but blood shed on color
    is still terrorist
    like how bilingual on white
    is sophisticated
    but bilingual on color 
    is “learn how to speak english”
    depending on colors context will change 
    on the color wheel 
    any word can be twisted
    at the flick of a tongue 

    Watermelon Poem: How I Imagine Misogynists Were Taught to Pick Fruit

    this is how you choose a watermelon

    step 1: hand walk your standards to the nearest grocery store

    step 2: grab a shopping cart. even if you aren’t planning on buying much. The grocery list of societal standards is too heavy a thing for you to carry with your bare hands

    step 3: find your way down the produce aisle. let your eyes lead you to the watermelon bin

    step 4: marvel at the wide variety of selections just waiting for you to choose from. relish the feeling of the power underneath your finger pads. control. remember, you are entitled to a full bargain. 

    step 5: the optimal watermelon should not be too watery, too dry, too heavy, or too light. watermelon bmi is complicated to get into, but you alone are qualified to determine the worth of the watermelon. 

    step 6: discard the underweight and overweight, now only paying attention to the striated perfectly rounded beauties. scrutinize the stripes of the remaining watermelon. stripes the wider the better. stripes flashier the better. choose the brightest, the most colorful. because remember, you are entitled to a trophy bargain. 

    step 7: slap the fruit to check for signs of resistance, i mean water buoyancy ratio. round your hands against the rind of the watermelon. but discard at any sound other than hollow submission. because remember you are entitled to an obedient bargain.

    step 8: purchase the perfect watermelon. Remember, you are entitled to a perfect bargain.

    step 9: at home, the watermelon should be quiet, transparent. always ready to comply with whatever knife you may use to pierce her rind. always ready for your hands to flesh out the sweet parts of herself that she has kept hidden for so long. always ready for you to savor her sweet, subtle, obedience, because remember, you are entitled to the bargain.
     
     
    Anouk Yeh

    Anouk Yeh
    Grade: 10

    Saratoga High School
    Saratoga, CA 95070

    Educator(s): Kelly Wissolik

    Awards: Poetry
    Gold Medal, 2020

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      Color Wheel Connotations & Watermelon Poem.m4a