Green Is The Colour

Green Is The Colour

Green
Is the colour of the plastic

From which they make the folder

Which they give you when they tell you

That your life is about to change

And which you hold on to

As you try to grasp the meaning

Of all the words you’re hearing

Green
Is the colour of the booklets

The leaflets and the pamphlets

Which they hand to you one by one

To put inside your folder

And build up your own collection

Of cancer information

And unwanted reading material

Green
Is the colour of the typeface

Of the jaunty letter-font

The co-ordinated colour-coded logo

That someone once designed

To make it bright and accessible

For each new unwilling owner

Of this convenient carry-case

With all the colours in the rainbow

The broadest palette of shades and hues

Who ever thought that green

Might suit oncology?

Is it meant to be a positive signal?

An encouragement to carry on?

Why not choose blue, the colour of depression?

Or the blackness of deep despair?

Why not a sickening yellow?

Or the fiery red of anger?

Why not the pink of healthy tissue

Or a cautious amber?

I don’t think this is what they meant

When they asked me if I had any questions

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2013