“One should sympathise with the colour, the beauty, the joy of life.” (Oscar Wilde)

/ madamebibilophile

Happy Mother’s Day (for those of you in the UK)!  My finals are seriously impacting on my blogging capacity, and although I had a plan for two novels to look at for Mother’s Day, I didn’t have time.  So instead I’m going to share a poem in its entirety with you.  It’s a poem my mother introduced me to, and it’s one of our favourites.  No matter how many times I read it the last line always makes me cry.  It’s by Peter Dixon and in my edition it’s called Rotten Reader, but I notice in lots of editions it’s now called The Colour of My Dreams.  Happy Mother’s Day Maman!

I’m a really rotten reader
the worst in all the class,
the sort of rotten reader
that makes you want to laugh.

I’m last in all the readin’ tests,
my score’s not on the page
and when I read to teacher
she gets in such a rage.

She says I cannot form my words
she says I can’t build up
and that I don’t know phonics
and don’t know a c-a-t from k-u-p.

They say that I’m dyxlectic
(that’s a word they’ve just found out)
but when I get some plasticine
I know what that’s about.

I make these scary monsters
I draw these secret lands
and get my hair all sticky
and paint on all me hands.

I make these super models,
I build these smashing towers
that reach up to the ceiling
and take me hours and hours.

I paint these lovely pictures
in thick green drippy paint
that gets all on the carpet
and makes the cleaners faint.

I build great magic forests
weave bushes out of string
and paint pink panderellos
and birds that really sing.

I play my world of real believe
I play it every day
and teachers stand and watch me
but don’t know what to say.

They give me diagnostic tests,
they try out reading schemes,
but none of them will ever know
the colour of my dreams.

Just wonderful. I hope you liked it.

To end, here is a picture from Holi celebrations (this year it was 17 March), an annual explosion of colour which I thought suited the poem:

Image

(Image from: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14222 )

17 thoughts on ““One should sympathise with the colour, the beauty, the joy of life.” (Oscar Wilde)”

  6. Hi Bibi [and I know that you already know about this!],
    To thank you for being one of the first 14 bloggers to follow by new writing blog last year, I have nominated you for the ‘Wonderful Team Member Readership’ award.
    There are not many rules and no questions to answer:-
    1 Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their blog post in your ‘thank you post’.
    2 Place the award logo on your blog
    3 Nominate 14 other bloggers to receive this award and notify them that you nominated them
    4 Please click link below to read more about the award:-
    http://wp.me/p2ZHJe-VS
    Please accept this message as a gesture of gratitude. I think it’s a nice gesture to pass these awards along to other bloggers whose writing you enjoy! If you don’t do awards, that’s fine too.
    Happy Blogging!
    Sandra

    Like

    Reply

  7. Thanks for sharing this lovely poem… It’s very touching…
    I’m looking for the meaning of the word – panderellos in the line “…and paint pink panderellos”… Any idea? Please let me know…

    Like

    Reply

      • Thank you dear for sharing this poem.
        Do you think ‘panderellos’ maybe the poet’s ‘dyslexic’ word for banderillas ?
        Banderillas is an ornamented dart with barbs used by banderilleros (matador’s assistant) for sticking into the neck or shoulder of the bull.
        I ask this as the poet has already used a play of words in the 1st line of 4th stanza – dyxlectic.
        What are your thoughts ?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

Leave a reply to Dina Ross Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.