Early Morning
two bluebirds flitter
nuthatch scrambles up oak tree
fawns frolic
doe blandly watches them
and me
crisp sunlight
defines jade grass
Liminal
Homage to The Book of Dreams, Nina George (Crown, 2019)
in between
neither here nor there
asleep . . . awake
conscious . . . unconscious
birth . . . death
labyrinth . . . straight line
dream, coma, déjà vu, insanity, little death
memory . . . amnesia
androgynous
previous . . . next
tug-of-war, blind man’s bluff
light . . . dark
heaven . . . hell
begin . . . end
costume, mask
yes . . . no
window, mirror, lens
poet friend said liminal overused
yet I remain intrigued by otherness
an archive of myself
Who is Joseph Bellows?
TO: Joseph
FROM: MSABM (The Museum Staff Against Bellows’ Messes)
stinky pinky two-by-four
couldn’t get through the museum door
because of all the junk on the floor
TO: Joseph
FROM: MSABM (You know who we are.)
the goops* have no manners
they throw their bananners
on anyone’s spot
but their own
*MSABM is highly suspicious that Joseph might be related to the goops
TO: Joseph
FROM: MSABM (You certainly know who we are.)
the three little pigs
all rolled into one
is Joseph Bellows
with his shirt undone
Sweet Crush
Lyle Sweet
sweet Sweet
young Sweet
too sweet
no Sweet
Liminal, Sweet Crush, and Who is Joseph Bellows were previously published by Medusa's Kitchen on July 15th, 2025.
Purple – the Color of God, Kings, Bishops, and George Washington
Flash Fiction
By Fay Loomis
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it,” says Shug in Alice Walker’s beloved The Colour of Purple.” Ditto for me.
When I was a kid, I loved purple. At that time, it was only for floozies. I’m not sure how my sister Barbara got her purple dress, but I do know I coveted it. When she went off on a visit, I could not resist wearing it to school.
In an attempt to hide my guilty deed, I washed the dress. In horrified disbelief, I watched as it shrunk to the size of a kindergartner. I paced the house, dreading her return. All she ever said, in cold disgust, was “Why did you have to wear it? How could I explain that glorious purple day.
Apparently, I forgot that eventful ending and created another, equally disastrous finale, when I wrote a flash piece and a poem that enshrined the purple dress. I got some nice press, including publication of the poem three times.
My love for purple escalated in high school Latin Class when I learned that Roman senators wore purple stripes on the togas as a mark of distinction. It boggles my mind to think that the emperor, who reserved the right to wear purple robes, charged any private citizen who dared to wear purple with high treason. If only I had been born to the purple.
A college course in ancient history enlightened me about the privileged purple. The Phoenicians, renowned as traders and creators of our alphabet, discovered purple dye around
1500 B.C. Each shellfish (purpura, hence the word purple) provided a few drops of liquid that was boiled in a salt solution for several days before dying the wool. The second dipping absorbed the remaining dye and produced the famous twice-dyed Tyrian purple, named after the city of Tyre.
Imperial purple was gradually replaced in the Christian era, though it was sometimes used to symbolize God the Father. Purple came to represent sorrow and penitence and is used during the seasons of Advent and Lent when worshippers prepare for the joyous festivals of Christmas and Easter. Crimson purple is associated with the rank of bishop in the Catholic faith.
The Patriarch of Constantinople used to sign his letters to the Pope in purple ink. During the Middle Ages, exquisite manuscripts were created with purple-dyed parchment inscribed in gold. It is easy to see why purple prose refers to elaborate and ornate writing that aims to impress.
During the 15th century, the Ming Dynasty built the Purple Forbidden City in Peking. The violet-coloured walls surrounding the imperial palace elicited this delicious name.
George Washington, another lover of purple, fathered more than the United States of America. In 1782, he created the Badge of Military Merit for bravery. Only three of the purple heart-shaped pieces of cloth, edged in silver braid, were awarded. On the 200th anniversary of his birthday, a new Purple Heart was instituted for those wounded or killed in military service.
In 1987, Sandra Martz wrote When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple. A decade later The Red Hat Society was founded. Female members, who wear red hats and purple garments, come together to have fun. Purple was in.
Today you can find purple most anywhere you look. In addition to clothing, purple is common in homes, the office, and sometimes you even see a purple car.
I openly flaunt my love of this mysterious mix of red and blue which has tantalizing names like violet, lavender, lilac, mauve, periwinkle, and plum, as well as amethyst, heliotrope, magenta, mulberry, orchid, pomegranate, and wine. These hues elicit varying shades of passionate response. Delicate tints bring joy, while the richer shades suggest dignity and somber darkness.
Once, when driving through the Arizona desert at sunset, I saw hovering above the mountains a mother-of-pearl moon pasted against a soft purple sky. Suffused with warm feelings, I mused about the colour purple. I decided that if God, kings, clergy, and George Washington loved purple, so can I.
