MARCH 28, 2005
MONDAY
3E
Caitlin McMahon, 12, sixth grade, Progress Village Middle School of the Arts, Tampa Shanay Williams, 13, eighth grade, Progress Village Middle School of the Arts, Tampa
THE COLOR PURPLE
The color of royalty. Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes (ask your parents who she is). The best soda pop you ever had. Purple is all those things but also the subject of this month’s Xpressions. Read below to discover the variations on this purple theme. And if you would like to see your best work published, follow the rules on Page 6E.
— Nancy Green, Xpressions editor
Purple is a color that puts our eyes Under a spell Reminding us of the Perfect Light this color gives off Everyone wants the color purple to themselves
Kelsey Orr, 10, fourth grade, Curtis Fundamental Elementary, St. Petersburg
One sunny afternoon I was running in a field of purple flowers. Their sweet fragrance made me feel like I was on a purple cloud floating in the sky. I knew my mother would love them, so I picked a few and ran home to take them to her. She said the flowers reminded her of her favorite purple blanket she had as a little girl. We put the flowers in a vase and every time we looked at them, they made us smile.
Lauren Watson, 10
Have You Heard the Sound of Purple? Have you heard the sound of purple? Juice dripping out of a tasty plum. A beautiful flower in an open field. A man pulling and tugging to get a turnip out of the ground. That’s the sound of purple. Have you heard the sound of maroon? Skates cutting and grinding through ice. Fans cheering for their favorite football team. A bat making contact with the ball at a baseball game. That’s the sound of maroon. Have you heard the sound of lavender? A new puppy being born. Plopping down on a nice comfy couch. A child crying because of a popped balloon. That’s the sound of lavender.
Treykel McGee, 10, fourth grade, Garrison-Jones Elementary, Dunedin
I once had a fish that had purple gills. Her name was Violet. Whenever I went to feed or check on her she always seemed to look at me and smile. Violet lived in a tank that had a sunken ship, a treasure chest, plants and colorful rocks. Violet enjoyed her tank. She loved to swim around and do tricks. One day when I was at school she jumped out. When I got home she was on the ground in purple heaven.
Courtney Bergo, 11
FROM SEVENTH-GRADERS AT CARWISE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN PALM HARBOR:
Purple Power Purple is a state of mind. It is better than having tranquility. Purple is like the party in your mind. Purple is the VIP guest in the crayon box. Purple is the color all the other crayons love to hate. Purple is completely perfect. Purple is the meaning of life.
Chris Muniz, 14, seventh grade, Davidsen Middle School, Tampa
The color purple reminds me of the vibrant butterflies that would fly in my back yard when I was little. My sister and I would attempt to catch them, but they would flutter just out of reach. Sometimes our grandfather would sit with us on cool summer evenings. He’d tell us what type of butterflies they were, and what flowers they liked. At night I would fall asleep watching them dance outside my window.
Kelly Westfall, 12
Purple Town, Sarah Duncan, 10, fifth grade, Perkins Elementary School, St. Petersburg
Purple is made by mixing blue and red together. It makes me dizzy. I don’t know why. I think I get dizzy because it is dull to me. When I hear the word purple my mind goes blank. I sometimes think of purple as a giant plum destroying the world. Other times it makes me think of ghosts. I think purple is a girl color. Purple is very weird. I also think purple is a mathematical color and I don’t like math.
Justin Slayton, 9, fourth grade, Westlake Christian School, Palm Harbor
When I think of the color purple I think of my lava lamp. I got it as a gift from a special friend for my 11th birthday. My lava lamp has glitter in it and makes me feel like royalty, as if I were a princess in a fairy tale. The color purple represents magic and excitement to me.
Farren Sokolovsky, 12
When I think of the color purple I think of my bedroom. On my bed I have at least 15 purple pillows. Some of them are lavender, and some are dark violet. My bedspread is purple, too. I also have purple butterflies hanging over my bed. My mother calls it my butterfly garden.
Savannah Barrett, 13
Even the most beautiful things look better in . . . purple! Taylor Howe, 11, fifth grade, Palm Harbor Elementary School
Mercy Anderson, 7, second grade, Independent Day School, Tampa
P erfect the way it is U nusual R elaxing P roudly joining red and blue L ightens your life E nergetic
Noela Lalime, 12, sixth grade, St. Peter Claver Catholic School, Tampa
FROM FOURTH-GRADERS AT ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL IN CLEARWATER:
Purple is my injured thumb, A ripe plum, grape gum. Purple is my favorite jacket and The handle of my dad’s tennis racket. Purple is a violet rose, fragrant and light, A neon light, hot and bright. Purple is the grape jelly on a sandwich That begins to ooze. Purple is the color of my skin When I have a bruise.
Jimmy Messmore, 9, Sutherland Elementary School, Palm Harbor
Purple is paper and ink and cool. Purple is the taste of fruit, grapes and grape juice. Markers and flowers smell purple. Climbing rocks makes me feel purple. Purple is the sound of violets and bees buzzing. Purple is a tree, a fort and my friend’s house. Reading a fantasy book is purple. Purple is the sunset.
Fiona Robertson-Morris, 10
The Royal Color Around the 12th century B.C., a seafaring people called the Phoenicians realized that by crushing shellfish they could make a beautiful dye that was a rare color at the time: purple. Because the dye was so rare, only royalty could afford to buy purple clothing. This is how purple became known as the royal color. Because purple became so popular and the Phoenicians were the only ones who knew how to make the dye, they became rich. I’ll bet purple was their favorite color, too!
Johnny Annunziata, 12, seventh grade, St. Paul Catholic School, St. Petersburg
Purple sounds like the wind rushing through your hair As you’re accelerating On land Or waves Or sky As fast as that Or as rhythmic as nothing Purple feels like fog rising over a pond On a winter day A mist that swallows you whole Never to return as yourself Purple lives in an alley Where animals search for food and grow thin It rises above all colors In this dark place Purple says sorry, I’ve got to go Can’t stop Come with me Then I’ll talk Okay goodbye
Katie Gingerich, 10
FROM FIFTH-GRADERS AT PALM HARBOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Purple makes me think of soccer. It means going hard into a tackle, fighting for the ball and never giving up.
Francine Salemi, 12
Purple is strangers, books and cold. Purple is the taste of paper, the moon and perfume. Lilacs and purple stones smell purple. Holding my breath makes me feel purple. Purple is the sound of someone sad, and a purple flower blooming. Purple is London, France and China.
Adeline Tungate, 10
Danielle Birmingham, 13, seventh grade, St. Paul Catholic School, St. Petersburg