Ladders, Pearls and Green

As a teenager I
became very conscious
there were some
anomalies about,
in the usual
swag of truths I learned
in preparation
for adulthoood.

Don't walk under ladders!
Wear Pearls and you're risking self-purity!
Don't wear green or something terrible will happen!

These were not from my
family root, but
scattered around in my
mixings with the world,
all the different voices
of experience.

All I learned from these
was that walking under ladders
was safe unless something
was about to fall on your head,
and nothing actually happened.

Pearls are beautiful and
are pure in their own right.
And green, the colour of my school uniform
was only "bad" because we got teased for
it, but kids tease each other for any
reason. If I had worn a purple uniform
I wonder......

So, ladders are for going up,
Pearls are for wisdom,
And green is for growing.

I have finally said my piece!

(And I'm not even going to start on the things I heard about cats...)

copyright Monika Roleff 2005.