Poetry Delight: What is the colour of your love?

Nana Efua Rockson ends this week’s edition of Poetry Delight with a beautiful poem about the different shades and manifestations of Love.

Her earlier poem “I am the Sun”, published on Tuesday, seeks to encourage everyone on the lonely and arduous road to self-fulfillment.

In “What is the colour of your love?” Nana Efua explains that she wrote the poem to guide you to make an introspection about love and to choose the best colour to describe it. For her love is BLACK – dense, deep and exciting. Which colour describes love for you? Enjoy.

WHAT IS THE COLOUR OF YOUR LOVE?

Most people say the colour of love is RED.

RED for red roses and even though they have thorns,

They are delicate and need tender care.

RED for the ultimate sacrifice;

Irrespective of whatever religion you belong to,

Someone had to pay the ultimate price for salvation,

And you are ready to do likewise.

RED for blood;

Since love flows through our veins each passing moment;

And, through its hurts and disappointments,

We cannot afford to live without it.

Some say the colour of love is WHITE?

WHITE for purity, spotlessness and transparency!

WHITE for peace and tranquility,

As your world becomes forever blissful,

When you find the reason to love unconditionally.

Others say the colour of love is LILAC?

Representations of beauty, softness and gentleness!

Love is indeed beautiful.

LILAC for the first aching emotions of love,

That overturns your world and lingers on forever.

LILAC because love is warmth,

Yet cooool enough to calm the aches and pains that we bear.
What is the colour of your love?

Is it RED?

Is it WHITE?

Is it LILAC, PURPLE or LAVENDER?

What is the colour of your love?

The colour of my love is BLACK!

BLACK for the density and abysmal depth that intrigues and excites
BLACK for the thickness, like the night,
That creeps in and covers the sun before you have the chance to say NO!
BLACK for the mystery that I AM:

The more you unravel, the more clues you find and the deeper you fall.
BLACK because I AM Black.

An intelligent African woman – tall, beautiful, elegant and voluptuous;
So common among my kind, and yet so rare to find.
BLACK for the ignorance of not knowing WHO I AM:
A lost identity in a world of many cultures.

BLACK for the search to discover myself and love ME for whom and what I AM
And when I have found myself;

BLACK for the uncertainty of your explores,
in a never knowing anguish of what you will discover!

My dearest that is the colour of my love

BLACK, the powerful force that paints all colours BLACK.

The blackest purity of my unconditional love for you
My love is truly BLACK;

That which only you can see, feel, touch and taste,
With the senses of your love.

BLACK!

Nana Efua shares her Inspiration behind “What is the Colour of your Love?”
This poem was written to make people explore their love relationships and choose a colour to describe it. It was written to guide each reader to make an introspection and examine what their love definition is and to choose the best colour to describe it.

Interestingly, this poem came to me one day while listening to the song by Billy Ocean, “What is the colour of love” on a love-filled day.

As I listened to the lyrics of the song, I began to contemplate on the title of the song, “What is the colour of love?”

In my world of imagination, I travelled to different scenarios of love:
First, the bitter-sweet love relationship between “love birds” with its highs and lows and I likened it to the beautiful thorny rose flower.

Secondly, I explored the love relationship from the Christ in Christianity, the ultimate sacrifice of selfless love. And I began to question how many of the people who claim to truly love me are ready to die for me?

Reflectively, I delved deeper on the question whether love is pure and transparent (the white colour)? If indeed so, then why all the lies, half-truths and deceit in most relationships?

Further, I inquired (still in my world of imagination) if love really brings about peace and tranquility? If it does, why does a person commit suicide or others go through depression or insanity because of a love relationship?
Again, I questioned, if love is indeed beautiful (the lilac colour)? Is beauty expressed in anger, violence, slavery, possessiveness as characterized by some love relationships?

Inaudibly, I asked myself what the colour of my love is. It was a great revelation, amazement and awakening to realize that the best colour to describe love for me was BLACK.

What then is the colour of your love? Do you know it? Explore it!

The Author
Nana Efua Rockson is an easygoing affable person with a passion for success. She is a Marketing Communication and PR professional with over ten years experience. She is currently the Group Head, Corporate Affairs & Marketing at GLICO Group Ltd, an indigenous insurance and financial services company.

Writing poetry is her hobby and she enjoys doing it. In today’s chaotic world, one needs space and time for escapism, winding down, and Nana Efua does that by writing poetry.

Writing poetry allows her to travel into a world of imagination, reflection, retrospection, introspection and deeper delving into common human dilemmas and package them in poetic language.

Poetry gives her the fluidity to express things in few but poignant words and phrases.