I awake to the pitter patter of raindrops on my floor
Now you may ask, don't you mean your window ma'am?, but I reply:
No sir, my roof will not abide
I grab some stale bread and open the door and ho!
There is a rainbow shining and rippling in the bright sunlight
From the torn pages of my books, I have read
That there is surely a pot of gold ahead!
I weep with joy and dance around
at the prospect of looking for that pot of gold
But suddenly sir comes back and says:
Don't be queer, go clean your household!
I gape with stubborn innocence
Will this day, like all the others, turn out to be just a reminiscence?
No, I refuse to throw away this opportunity,
though I hear sir seething behind
Suddenly, as if on cue, a wasp stings the enemy's nose
He bellows in pain and I,
I make a swift sprint towards the magnificent angel of colours
He roars for me to come back, but I ignore with delight
As I run the wind rushes through my hair
I start imagining the wonderful world and the beckoning pot of gold
Breathless and well away from the beast, I resort to an amble
I look around at the rolling hills and wet earth
Then I look up, at the rainbow, it's colours shining in the sky
And start to notice them
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet
A lovely array of the dispersion of light!
But all of a sudden I am pushed from behind
I land with a thud to find a thug looking down upon me
It's my only silver bracelet that he sees
I notice red liquid trickling from my knee
Perhaps that rock, that scraped my skin free
The gangster lunges to seize my precious metal
I grab some earth and throw it into his face
He bellows with disgrace
And again I run for it, my heart thundering under my chest
I dive into a cave
darkness enclosing me like a sudden wave
I hear the thief grunt in disappointment, then the sound of his footsteps wane
away
I emerge out into the day, and remember my injured leg
I spot a nearby puddle and bend over only to see
the ripples of the rainbow above me
The blood from my knee, turns the rainbow a red hue
O dear angel, was the first colour a warning that I should've knew?
I get up and start to fear
That the rainbow may soon disappear
As in plain sight it is clear
That the pot of gold is nowhere near
As I sprint across rolling hills
I spot a lovely flower bed
and O my, a monarch burying it's head
Deep within a tulip
It fills me with wondrous joy to see its orange wings and mesmerizing beauty
As yonder far far away
Sir would not let a flower bed stay
I tear my eyes away, and look up as the rainbow seems to say
Keep going dear,
For soon I may disappear
I rush ahead waving goodbye to my friends
I pity that they cannot accompany me
As I, I have a whole world to see!
The end of the rainbow seems quite far, but to my surprise
I spot a yellow shine only away by a few yards
With a cry of delight I run to dig up the gold
The filth soils my white dress
But then again I am accustomed to looking like a mess
The cry of delight turns to one of disappointment
As I dig, I find that the pot of gold
Is nothing but amber stone
I slip it into my torn dress seam
Woe is me, was I an imbecile to dream?
I trudge on not letting the rainbow out of my sight
Past magnificent trees that seem to dance in the breeze
Thankful perhaps for the rain and shine
At the same time
At last, I come across a glorious village
With its lovely marble architecture and glistening white stone
Being alien to this new world,
I was reluctant to make an approach
But beyond the pretty walls, what caught my eye
Was the sight of a joyous girl
Magnificent robes and flowing hair
Her guardians near with protective glares
I turned green with envy
As green as the lush grass
Alas!
I catch ahold of my vicious feelings
And trudge on ahead
What would my pot of gold have said?
I hear a sudden rumble
It's not thunder, but my insides that tumble
A stale bread would not keep me fed
At last I spot a clearing with bushes and thickets
I hasten to the undergrowth
And start to eat
Blueberries ever so sweet!
As it continues to rain, dew drops slowly fall away
They curve across the berry
And at once I am reminded,
Of the way I cried without a sound
And of the tears I shed, when I was bound
Satisfied but not fully fed,
I continue my journey ahead
Not knowing where it would end
The pot of gold nowhere near
I start to fear, that the rainbow may soon disappear
A puddle babbles from the raindrops
The rainbow ripples in the water
Suddenly the ripples fade into a splash
And I find a fair women standing aghast
“Dear me, you must be tired,
Let me help you find your squire”
I protest but agree to rest in the Lady's lovely home
My journey surprises her as she sees I'm torn......
Storms turn course and winds blow the clouds away
Now I am a florist at a store
Where violets and lavenders sway!
The pot of gold was never found
But perhaps what I was truly looking for,
was the door to freedom forever more
******************fin*******************
Interpretation:
The poem is set in the 18th or 19th century in England. The narrator is a woman
from a low income household. “Sir” refers to a patriarchal figure who denies the
narrator her freedom. In Irish literature it is said that there is a pot of gold at the
end of a rainbow. The narrator goes looking for this pot of gold but realises that
freedom and independence is what she actually seeks. In her journey she comes
across various situations each referring to a colour and an associated emotion.
She sees the ripples of the rainbow as a reflection of the rainbow in puddles,
where the water ripples when rain drops fall in it. This poem is about finding
one’s passion and being independent. It also throws light on the horrible male
dominated patriarchal society that existed and still exists in our world.