Skip to main content
Poetry Foundation Homepage
Poetry magazine
June 2026Subscribe
Subscribe
June 2026Poetry May2026 cover RGB
Poetry Foundation Homepage
Poetry Foundation Homepage
Poetry Foundation
Poetry magazine
June 2026Subscribe
Subscribe
June 2026Poetry May2026 cover RGB
Poetry Foundation

Imogen and the Beginning of Color (an Excerpt)

By Gabrielle Bates & Adrienne Raphel
Black and white drawing of octopus legs with text "The water made room for an octopus. // It was not gray, / not orange, not pink, / purple, brown, / blue, green, yellow, red,"
 
Black and white drawing of an octopus with text "white, black."
 
Black and white abstract drawing with text "Slid on and off the octopus,"
 
All black background with white text in center: "All color, no color."
 
Black and white drawing of a person with curly hair facedown on a couch and text "The fish refracted."
 
Black and white drawing of a person with curly hair sitting on a chair. There is a swan's head in the corner of the drawing. The text reads "The octopus brooded."
 
Black and white drawing with text reading "One morning the gray fish, / not grayish but gone. / Orange fish, gone. / Pink fish, purplish, gone. / Brown gone,"
 
Black and white drawing of a bedroom. A person is perched on the windowsill. Text reads: "Watched the octopus by watching around it."
 
Black and white drawing of two swan heads. One speech bubble says "One by one, one by one fewer colors." The other speech bubble says "Fewer and fewer, but there,"
 
Black and white abstract drawing of shapes and panels with varying swirl patterns. Text reads: "There, no more octopus."
 
Source: Poetry (February 2019)
p1
This Poem Appears In
De9fded56de62c09e0aa044f5e73fc432e7b3075
Read Issue
Subscribe to Poetry
De9fded56de62c09e0aa044f5e73fc432e7b3075
This Poem Appears In
View Issue
  • Poems & Poets
    • Collections
    • Poem Guides
    • Poem of the Day
    • Poems
    • All Poems
    • Poets
    • All Poets
  • Topics & Themes
    • Adults
    • Children
    • Education
    • Educators
    • Glossary of Poetic Terms
    • Teens
  • Features
    • About the Magazine

    • Advertise with Poetry

    • Articles
    • Books
    • Podcasts

    • Poetry Magazine

    • Poetry Historical Index

    • Poetry Magazine Archive

    • Submit to Poetry

    • Subscriptions
    • Video
  • Grants & Programs
    • Awards
    • Events
    • All Past Events
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Grants
    • Library
    • Partnerships
    • Programs
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Give
    • Jobs
    • News
    • Our Team
    • Press Releases
    • Reports & Financials
    • Trustees
    • Visit
Poetry Foundation
FacebookInstagram
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Poetry Mobile App
  • 61 West Superior Street,
    Chicago, IL 60654
  • © 2026 Poetry Foundation
See a problem on this page?