Vox Populi
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Donna Hilbert: Ode to Purple
O how I love you, purple pen
given to me by Shannon, my friend:
fountain pen, sitting so prettily
between finger and thumb,
and within your chamber
mélange of red blood and blue
taking me straight to Big Hair
and purple skirts so long they graze
the top of my boots, and I shun undies
to be secretly naughty in public.
And back to the purple sweater
bought for yearbook photos,
ninth grade, at Orbach’s LA
taking a bus from West Valley
with savvy, smart, Ann from New York.
And further back to Mom,
who when re-doing my room,
refused my vision of purple walls—
excluding lavender, lilac, puce, no matter
my pleas, no matter my howls.
O eggplant, O plum, O yard full of iris,
O purple beanie crocheted by Aruni
O overblown phrases, and broken
and bruised, beating hearts.
Bring it all on! Because I swear
by the goddess of excess and beauty,
I freaking love you, Purple.
~~~
Donna Hilbert’s many books include Enormous Blue Umbrella (Moon Tide Press, 2025). She lives in Long Beach, California.
Copyright 2025 Donna Hilbert
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I love this ode! Carry on, beautiful purple!
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Purple is a colour that I’m known for – wasn’t intentional, just find myself drawn to some shade of purple in most things. Thank you Donna, the goddess of excess and beauty!
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How great! I have read this one before and loved it. Such a fun poem! With a February birthday, amethyst is my birthstone and so purple has been special to me as long as I can remember.
I’m trying to figure out how to subscribe to them, but no success. They obviously have good taste!
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Rosie!
XOXO, Betsy
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May I continue praising your little opportune VP Anthology, poems of weekdays (Thursday is my dearest, my Art day when I take off and do anything I please) Rosemary, and blue, your creed of living in heaven on earth!
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What an oddly beautiful paean, Sean. Thank you!
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Thank you so much!!
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Thank you so much Sean!
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I’m a bit tardy to lavish the praise this poem deserves, Donna, but its fabulous, all endowed with complimentary saffron glow of gold affixed in my thoughts—
assigned to that omnipotent royal hue, and in an era of an unsought king, i can think of no better thing than just to say how lovely you’ve made my day.
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This delight of a poem feels like such a relief today. Thank you for joyfulness
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YES!
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Donna, such a fabulous ode! I write with a purple pen and panic when the ink gets low or I’ve misplaced it. Purple makes the poem!
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Wonderful poem, Donna! I too love excess and beauty! Here’s to purple pens and purple words. My writing room is painted periwinkle, a kind of violet-blue, and I’m lately obsessed with WV’s wild violets, though they’re here and gone by now. Thanks for this joyous ode, and thanks Michael for posting it!
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Thank you so much for this, Donna! As it happens, I have for years had … purple hair (it was a suggestion when I first returned to coloring my hair after the pandemic locked down salons). As I have many times told the stylist who makes the magic happen: if I had to give you an extra tip every time I get a compliment on my purple hair, I would be bankrupt and you could buy a villa on Capri. It is the weirdest thing: total strangers of all ages, shapes, sizes, and walks of life, stop me on the street and say “lady, I love your purple hair!” There really IS something about the color purple.
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Hahahaha… thanks, Annie!
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I am very receptive to Odes right now. LOVE this! (being secretly naughty in public – ohhhh yesss :=D
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Hahaha.
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The second edition of Gravity: New & Selected Poems has a purple cover.
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Yes!!!!
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Ah yes, the many purple t shirts in the closet, the two pairs of purple sneakers that have lost their tread and should be discarded, the purple scarves, the purple tie-dye, and of course, purple pens. I’m dancing in this poem.
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And the quilt my friend made me for when I was going through chemo.
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How colors bring back smells!
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The lavender that makes up part of my labyrinth is blooming now. (Lavender scents the day and jasmine scents the night)
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Lovely!
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There is something wonderful about the color!
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Thanks for the purple passion of this colorful poem. It got me out of my chair, to seek out purple in the house.
Shockingly, all I could find was a purple folder, and the lavender-hued almond milk in my cereal bowl, after putting some frozen blueberries in it. Not a single book has a purple cover. Not even my antique patchwork quilt has one lonely swatch of it. Time to revive purple, and where better than a poem like Hilbert’s ode, to make that start.
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Yes, a purple revival!
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I love the last three lines especially! Thank you.
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Me too, William!
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Thank you so much, Rosie! I am always so excited to be in Vox Populi!
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I like this celebration.
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Thank you so much, Michael!
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