two paints in the pack:
cadmium yellow and
cadmium red.
the yellow’s on my nails –
you like that one.
you hold my hand out and inspect it
mostly shine, with the occasional chip.
you don’t seem to notice the chip,
or, at least, it doesn’t bother you;
it’s nice.

nice might seem an underwhelming word
nothing short of anti-climatic,
lackluster, even,
but i really don’t see it that way.
that’s such a cynical perspective to take
and for once
i don’t want to see things cynically.
so, here’s an ode to the word ‘nice’:
you’re nice
i’m actually quite nice
quorn burgers are nice
wind in the willows is nice
and cadmium yellow
is nice.

haven’t really looked at the cadmium red much.
what does red symbolise?
danger.
no wonder we haven’t looked at it much.
that’s irrelevant – far too cynical a connotation.
what does yellow symbolise?
happy.
yeah, that one’s better.
nice, even.
by Rachel Gambling