#170 words

[graphic-equilibrium]

wrote this the other day because i was having some thoughts about the end of the school year

(under the cut. again fairly long)

the standards

i hold myself to

do not matter

because here i am

succeeding

living

having one of my best years

there is so much to me

aside from that number

i have moved so far away

from my nothingness

from my solitude

from my self-imposed perfection

and it’s easier

it’s easier

and i’m doing better than i ever have

in almost every way

nothing defines me

i defy categorization

what some call a difference

or a superpower

or something else entirely

is me

essentially

irrevocably

i am not my differences

but they are me

and here we all are

at the end of a ride

we didn’t know would be better

than standing in the rain

pretending we don’t feel it

this is an end

a beginning

a revival

of important things

and all i can tell you

is to keep your head up

to stay alive

to get through it

because the storm

will calm eventually

what will you do

if you never get

to see a rainbow

[twowug]

Grass is Not Greener for the Man with the Green Hat

Around St. Patty's Day, when many were adorning festive green attire, my conversation partner, Emma, told me that Chinese men almost never wear green hats.

She said "a man wearing a green hat" is an expression in China that implies a woman is cheating on her husband.

Chinese people must really pity the Lucky Charms mascot.

Upon looking into this idiom further, I discovered Chinese Catholic bishops, who are supposed to wear green hats in their coats of arms, have often opted to break tradition and use purple hats instead (x).

This made me ponder American English idioms relating to colors. Black is often part of idioms that denote negativity, such as 'black and blue' and 'black sheep.' Yellow may imply cowardice, exemplified with the idioms 'yellow streak' and 'yellow-bellied.' There are idioms for every color in the rainbow.

I wonder, though, what comes first in situations like these--the perception behind the color, or the color-related idiom? In other words, do these idioms reflect cultural ideas or create them?