The Inherent Colour of a Thing by Jasmine Ruff
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “The Inherent Colour of a Thing” by Jasmine Ruff.
The Inherent Colour of a Thing
By Jasmine Ruff
Millennial pink: the satin house robe I take nudes in, a gift.
Colour isn’t inherent in objects.
Pink Lake is green. It was named after the Pink Fmaily.
Blush: the beret bought after a bad haircut.
Light is necessary for the perception of colour.
There are seven pink lakes in the world. One could argue they are
red or purple, depending on one’s agenda.
Magenta: A pair of mismatched cat earrings made from polymer
clay, sealed with clear nail polish.
When we see colour what we see is what is being reflected.
Pink lakes are usually pink due to algae and salt.
Barbie pink: a tin of salve—rose and mint.
Hue, lightness, and saturation.
2016 two colours of the year—Rose Quartz (baby pink) and
Serentiy (baby blue).
Puce: a package of wildflower seeds—the pacific northwest blend.
Our retinas are considered to be part of our brains, they are
covered in millions of light-receptive cells.
I have spent my life loving a reflection.
Copyright © Jasmine Ruff
This poem was previously published under the pen name Clara Otto.
Jasmine Ruff is a queer writer living on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She is an MFA candidate at the University of British Columbia. Her work has been published in The Ex-Puritan, just femme and dandy, and elsewhere. When not writing, you can find her scouring thrift stores for pottery and drinking bubble tea.
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