Bloom! Banks Of Color - Note:

Bloom, Banks of Color was written months after 911.

I was in route (driving) from Chicago

to Georgia with several others, (family) when I noticed that everything looked out of focus.

I love to look at scenery and the symetry of different kinds of trees. What I found so fascinating but yet unnerving was that everything look grayish. The trees had lost their beautiful hue of green, the rich green color that seems so alive, was so greyish, it actually looked greyish green.

At first I thought that it was just a small stretch of land that we had passed as we drove along the Interstate, but as we kept moving, it stretched throughout the whole state. There was no difference, the same greyish color was also in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

What I could not remember was, did it look like that in Illinois. So, I began looking for wild flowers, any colors that would stand out in the background of the scenery as we passed by.

To my awful surprise, everything looked almost lifeless, a massive expanse of grey mixed into whatever color that was appearing before us.

After reflecting on my trip once I got home, I remembered how pleasant the people were, everywhere we stopped for gas or food. Upon talking with people they seemed so hopeful about everything, but the color imagery could not be hidden or dismissed from my mind.

Everything had lost it beautiful rich color.

I began to pray withing myself and say, Bloom! banks of color, don't hide in the sky, show me your hues, red, yellow, blue... all the colors that I know are so rich and beautiful to see in the God given scenery we have.

Then I wanted them to fall from the sky and turn everything back like it once was before 911.

Dr. Daisy L. Gaitors

2009