Its True Color is Blue by Eli Germaine

Eli Germaine

Eli Germaine is an aspiring writer native to south Florida. Her creative works have been published in Plants & Poetry Journal, Floating Acorn Review, and Poets on the Fringe: Anthology Two. She partakes in nature and confessional writing in both poetry and creative nonfiction genres, delving into these personal styles to help awaken the tenderness of our natural world while also providing a voice for herself and others who have experienced trauma and live a life of disability. Despite her limitations of chronic illness, she enjoys hiking on nature trails, scrapbooking memorable encounters, and painting. 

Its True Color is Blue

after the blue awareness ribbon

for childhood sexual assault

Not blue like the sky, murkier

like a pond unable to purify itself

its own plants decaying from within

due to lack of oxygen, a self-suffocation.

My eight-year-old self does not realize this

instead, she stares blankly into that pond

her reflection rippling across the surface

an unexplained guilt festering underneath.

Ponds require preservation

like a decorative fountain or forgiveness

but there is no beautification

to reclaim the purity of a prepubescent body.