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Thursday, August 17, 2023

Poetry Friday - Pinkish

 

          It's Poetry Friday! Thanks, Molly Hogan HERE at her blog, Nix The Comfort Zone for hosting. She's sharing her favorite images of nature in special haiku. 
           While we all know some of the history of 'pink' in our lives, particularly here in America, the phenomenon has rather amazed me this summer, primarily because of Barbie, the movie, a long history capped this summer with an approach that is a bit different than the pink found only on the "toys for girls" aisles. Here's a NY Times article that I'm gifting. Hope it works for all of you. In part, Vanessa Friedman writes: "“Pink is the most controversial color in fashion history,” said Valerie Steele, the director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and author of “Pink: the History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color.” “It has so many contradictory meanings. It has fully entered our bloodstream like a virus, and now different variants keep emerging.”

       “Barbie” seemed to herald the third leg of historical troika."

         I found numerous others when researching "Barbiecore", even one from Popular Science, where Jocelyn Solis-Moreira shares, "We can attribute the popularization of pink to one of King Louis XV’s most famous mistresses. Madame de Pompadour was the closest thing 18th-century French society had to a fashion influencer. Her fondness for pink in the arts shaped the culture and taste of people across Europe. “It became all the rage, and at the time it was gender neutral, so everybody was wearing pink,” says Naomi Greyser, an associate professor of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies at the University of Iowa." this and more!"

       No matter, because I turned to an old favorite book of poems for children, Hailstones and Halibut Bones, poems about colors by Mary O'Neil, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. I remembered that Mary had included a poem about pink, too. Wonder if today she would mention "Barbiecore"?


What is Pink? By Mary O’Neil

Pink is the color of a rose.
They come in other colors
but everyone knows
pink is the mother-color of a rose.
Pink is a new baby,
the inside of a shell..
Pink is a cooked shrimp
and a Canterbury bell.
Pink is peachbloom,
gauzy… frail
the wind’s exquisite wedding veil.
Pink is a bonbon,
pink is a blush,
some Easter bunnies
are pink plush.
If you stand in an orchard
In the middle of Spring
and you don’t make a sound
you can hear pink sing,
a darling, whispery song of a thing.
Pink is the beautiful little sister
of red my teacher said,
and a ribbon girls tie
round their head.
Pink is the sash
with the lovely fold
you’ll remember
when you’re old.
Pink is the flower on a lady’s hat
that nods and bows this way and that.

         Had enough PINK? Or, do you have a favorite "pink" memory? Happy Poetry Friday!

26 comments:

  1. I think I must be one of the few that has not seen Barbie! Hopefully, it will stream soon and I can see it. I love this poem...all the images of pink. "wind's exquisite wedding veil" has to be my favorite line. So pretty. And, the history of pink...I never considered that before. How fascinating. Thank you, Linda

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    1. Thanks, Linda, I was intrigued by that history, too, though I have heard of Madame de Pompadour. Numerous articles have been written because of the movie!

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    2. I haven't seen it yet, Linda M. and Mary Lee!

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  2. The many shades of pink! Such a versatile color. How interesting to pair King Louis XV’s mistress with the phrase “fashion influencer.” The more things change …

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    1. Yes, they do change, feels like it often has to do with power, and today, money. Thanks, Tracey!

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  3. "you can hear pink sing,/a darling, whispery song of a thing." - Well, that's delightful! I haven't seen Barbie yet but want to!! Fascinating post, Linda - though I also immediately thought of my color research I do each year for Core Essentials (my post today mentions that), and frequently running into historical notes that a century & more ago, pink was more a color associated with boys, and blue, girls. Here's an article I just found with a search - tons of annoying ads, but there are some good images in the mix. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/05/01/pink-blue/

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    1. Oh, thanks for the link, Robyn. Now, I'm wondering how much 'influencers' change our perceptions of many colors, then scientific discoveries of creating, too. You probably know much more because of your research. I'll keep looking!

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  4. How fun considering the color pink as I read O'Neil's poem. So many things are pink. Barbie was a feast of pink! Thanks, Linda.

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    1. My favorite is still those pinks in sea shells, shining always. Thanks, Janice!

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  5. I love that book, Linda! Thanks for sharing a poem from it. Our family of 4 is going to see Barbie tomorrow--and I don't think I have a single pink thing to wear. Going to hunt in my closet now :>D

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    1. I love it, too, and hope you enjoy the movie, Laura. Thanks!

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  6. Pink is the punkest color for sure. Subversion and universality all in one--let any human open their mouths, and what color is inside? I love the Aerosmith song, too. https://open.spotify.com/track/0Xl2pAlIRE6ANULPdEI7fx?si=ed761659551e488c

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  7. My favorite is "you can hear pink sing,/ a darling, whispery song of a thing" for spring. :-)

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  8. Thanks for sharing Hailstones and Halibut Bones… a favorite since my children’s lit professor in college first shared it. She was such a beautiful person, with such a love for teaching children. She was my guide in an independent study I did as well as the literature class and other education courses. She shared books so enthusiastically. Whenever you needed help and went to her office hours, she made you feel like you were her only student.
    Diane Anderson (newtreemom)

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  9. Linda, can I ever get enough of pink, especially when I have 3 grandgirls and the newest one has a blushing pink color? Thank you for the gift of the NY Times article. I love fashion and my 6-year-ol grandgirl is in love with Barbie now.I have the book, Hailstones and Halibut Bones and will look up the poem you shared. "The wind’s exquisite wedding veil.

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  10. I've always loved "Hailstones and Halibut Bones", and often used it in my classroom, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't think I've ever read "What is Pink?" before. What a beauty of a poem! I love "mother-color" and the "whispery" song, and of course that gorgeous wedding veil. I saw Barbie with my family (first movie outing in almost a decade for me!) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for all the fun history of pink today, too.

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  11. Thanks, Heidi, Anastasia, Diane, Carol, & Molly! I love all that you shared, songs and family and that you have "pink" on your minds, too!

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  12. Hailstones and Halibut Bones is one of my all-time favorites. I inherited my grandmother's love of pink, especially when it's "inside a shell." Barbie is on my list, but like Linda, I may not see it until it's streaming.

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  13. Oh, Linda, what a fun post! Yes, we were able to read the article you gifted us with. Thank you. I still have yet to watch Barbie. I want to, but most of those around me have already seen it, so I guess I'll wait. It was fun reading the "What is Pink?" poem by Mary O'Neill. Her book was one of my favorites to teach with. Color poems were always a favorite for fifth graders to write. 

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  14. Haven't been to Barbie yet, though my daughter has and wants to return with us… I do like pink and hearing it sing–your poem and post make me smile, thanks for sharing Mary O’Neil's poem! Wishing you hints and pleasures of pink! P.S. We did see Oppenheimer–1st movie theatre film since the pandemic.

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  15. When you mentioned Hailstones and Halibut Bones I let out an audible sigh. It's one I used often in the classroom and still have somewhere, although it's not in the pile of children's poetry books I collected for the Sealey Challenge. I'll be on a hunt today for it! Thanks for sharing the history of "pink."

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  16. This Barbie movie phenomenon has sparked LOTS of discussion about the history of the Barbie doll, along with all of this information about pink that you have uncovered for us! I guess I better go see it!

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  17. I may be one of the last holdouts to get to Barbie - but hopefully this week. I've never been a big pink fan - I suppose because it bothers me that people assume pink is for girls. (I've always been a red girl! ). So thank you for the pink history lesson! O'Neil's poem motivates me to write a color poem.

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  18. I'm not a big pink fan (and I haven't yet seen the Barbie movie) BUT I do love HAILSTONES AND HALIBUT BONES. Such a great collection and fun for introducing color poems to kids.

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  19. Most of today has been taken by the bookstore where I volunteer but love reading all of your responses, whether you love pink or not, but everyone seems to Love O'Neil's 'perfect' book! Some things are meant to remember for a long time! Thanks all!

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