Chameleon



Walking through time, I practice my browns.
I can do brown.
200 shades.
Once in a while, a long while, I catch a glimpse of color.
Purple, scarlet, a blinding blue;
I flash in return, too brightly,
Out of place against the brown.
Oh, to be in the rainforest,
To blend with the trumpeting flowers,
The lush greens, the flowing rivers of
    azure,
The blooms of brazen yellow and red.
Or to proudly walk in front of a Picasso, a Van Gogh, a Monet -
Colors surrounding me, testing me with their brilliance.
Then you would see me shine.

About this poem

I wrote this at a time when I was struggling to fit in with my new job and new community. I felt like I could not fit in if I was myself.

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Written on February 02, 1999

Submitted by lisadadams on February 06, 2024

33 sec read
48

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFBGHIDJKLM
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 536
Words 112
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

L.A.

Retired educator- likes: fantasy and science fiction, travel, cats, sleep. Lives with husband and six cats. more…

All L.A. poems | L.A. Books

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1 Comment
  • i.g.martinez2114
    Concise, good metaphors that are broad enough to be interpreted, while still having a definite theme and structure. Also message I perceived, being that of the impact of environment on development, personally resonates with me. 
    LikeReply1 month ago

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"Chameleon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/182643/chameleon>.

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Repeated use of words for effect and emphasis is called ________.
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