Pink
Why is pink a “girly” color? Does pink limit us or empower us? What is the future of pink?
pink: precious perfect blush staining silk skin, sweet sapling sighing, baby’s posing purpose painted pink: princess prancing in tangled tulle tears, twirling, towering, terrifying imaginations, paying platonic prices pink: piles packed neglected for feminine futures flying, forgotten faux fantasies need patriarchs plowing, pushing pink: plans pervading supernova-sprinkled skies sway sensible support, abdicating poached protagonists praying pink: pregnancy prepares learning balancing bicolor behavior, baiting blue bellies lobbying, please protect power pink: pain prickles societal ideas idolizing imprudent infrastructure, strengthening people pausing passivity pink: plethora of colors that belong to everyone and no one
Process
When I was five years old, my favorite color was pink, and most of the girls I knew also proclaimed pink as their favorite color.
As I wrote this poem, I thought, What do I know as pink? The cheeks of the dolls I played with blushed pink. My favorite princess costume was pink. At a gender reveal, at the sight of pink, people exclaim, “It’s a girl!” When so many five-year-old girls’ favorite color is pink, are others pushing pink to be their favorite color, either directly or indirectly?
Lauren Hacke
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Lauren Hacke
Lauren Hacke is a high school junior in Colorado. She enjoys writing novels, poetry, and short stories, and she loves exploring all kinds of creative expression. Lauren enjoys reading, archery, and fossil hunting in her spare time.
