Poem: "The Color of Faraway Mountains"
This poem came out of the August 3, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by marina_bonomi. This poem belongs to the "Origami Mage" series. The origami fortuneteller was part of the original promt. The color names and symbolism come primarily from Mandarin Chinese, though I had to piece them together from multiple sources. The exact renditions may be considered particular to the fantasy setting, inspired by bits from our world.
The Color of Faraway Mountains
origami mage
folds a divining tool from
colored rice paper
its four corners hold
four colors and eight different
fortunes underneath
red is hóng sè, hot,
auspicious beginnings full
of good promises
white is bái sè, cold,
inauspicious endings deep
as wells in winter
bluegreen is qīng, breeze,
life's breath billowing like silk,
burgeoning with growth
black is hēi sè, storm,
interruption of progress,
wreckage and ruin
origami mage
dries her palms and holds her breath
then tells her fortune
the color is qīng
the message is a journey:
auspicious travel
origami mage
shoulders her pack and heads for
faraway mountains