once upon a time,
I used to be seven.
Mama and I would make our trip to that gas station
around the corner of the neighborhood,
talk to the owner Mr. Robert Watts,
and buy a bag of jelly beans.
every week, we were like clockwork
and Mama would teach me
the rules of ROYGBIV.
we bolted through the old screen door
letting it crack rickety clack-clack in its frame
as we organized our jellybeans
into piles of orange and the rest.
I always loved the orange the most -
it coincided with the first letter of my name.
at one point,
I used to be ten.
Mama got more dressed up when Daddy was gone –
and she’d call up the stairs,
“Ophelia!” and that she’d be back
in half an hour.
I started wondering about ROYGBIV
and who to relate them with;
I stopped when Mr. Robert Watts
was the only one to associate before me.
Mama would prance through the old screen door
letting it crack rickety clack-clack in its frame
and present me with a bag of jelly beans.
she’d sit there daydreaming
as we split the jellybeans
into piles of orange and the rest;
only sometimes, she messed up
and it was red and the rest.
one time,
I used to be fourteen.
Mama didn’t wake me up but the old screen door
was let to crack rickety clack-clack in its frame.
even though it had been years
since Mama had sat down to divide the jellybeans with me,
I wasn’t surprised to see a jellybean bag sitting on the table.
the word “gone” was carefully laid out in red jellybeans
while orange and the rest were tossed in the trash.
I was left to dream in the rules of ROYGBIV
so I retrieved the orange from the garbage
and tried to create a red-orange combination -
maybe then Mama would be lured back
by the two she told me she liked the best.
I always loved orange the most -
it coincided with the order of Mama’s preference.
Author notes
you can tell a lot about a fellow’s character
by his way of eating jelly beans – Ronald Reagan.
In a list
A contest entry
- quote contest: jellybeans by Polaja.
700 points, ended June 3, 9 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 17 of 17
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I love the beginning on this - and I love the way that you used the prompt
we used to remember it as Roy G. Biv and make up stories about him 
- I agree with the person who called this captivating thank you for entering!
Polly
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Thank you so much!
(for the bronze, as well)
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I'd give you gold, this is amazing...
I wasn't sure what ROYGBIV was until I looked at the comments... you are a genius.
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Aw, you're so kind!
Thank you very much!
ROYGBIV was a way I was taught to remember the order of the colors in the rainbow in elementary school. (:
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intriguing title ;}
once upon a time,
I used to be seven.
-ohmygawwddd. BEST START EVERRR!!!
the rules of ROYGBIV
-oh i like how this is the title. clever.
wow. i am so stunned with the sheer amount of story and emotion you got from this prompt. usually i dislike these kinda poems, but this one was done so sincerely i almost tripped over [and that's saying something seeing as i am sitting down.]
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Aww... thank you so very much!
PS - Have you never heard of ROYGBIV before? -
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sure have. why?
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Haha, nevermind - I misunderstood what you were saying.
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Holy shitfuckdamn.
Yeah, you got all three.
This was so creative like i've been staring at my computer in awe for the last few minutes.
You have such incredible talent, Danielle.
<3 -
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Haha, thank you very much!
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you're welcome.
i tried to use "shitstorm" in a complimentary way, but that didn't turn out so well.
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lmao.
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i mean, "this was a fucking shitstorm." doesn't sound too nice...unless you say "this was shitstorm of awesomeness." hmm...i might use that on your next write...
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wow. this is really amazing.
great luck.
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thank you!
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dude this is so intense!
I looooove it.
it's amazing, so captivating and interesting and sad.
I love the jellybean metaphor you have here.
I'd enter this contest.. but I'm not creative enough ahah
this is amazing.
goodluck <33
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aw, thank you so much!
haha, what are you talking about?
you are SO creative!
geez! <333
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