The Color Orange

2025 5th-6th Grade Poetry Winner

Oranges, tangerines,
 pumpkin, pumpkin pies—
 the smell of a fresh persimmon,
 the aroma of a sweet mango.

A creamsicle on a hot summer day
 would just be...
 perfect.

“Eat your greens”
 turns to
 “Eat your oranges.”

Although,
 not just oranges—
 carrots,
 orange peppers,
 too.

While on a hike,
 you might spot a fox
 or a monarch butterfly
 landing...
 softly
 on your shoulder.

and just as mysterious,
 wander among foxes
 and tigers.

Calm,
 and house-fitting—
 serve orange tabby cats
 and goldfish well.

Although... beware—
 as both might...

well, the cat
 may eat the goldfish—
 or possibly,
 the other way around.

In a cave, you may find
 ambers
 and carnelians,
 sunstones that
 are made from the sun...

right?

Marigolds would bury
 the cave,
 while boys play basketball—
 yelling,
 but also laughing—

ending the game,
 and the day,
 with a handshake.

The color orange
 can be
 seen,
 tasted,
 felt in the sun,
 heard in laughter.

A moment,
 a memory—
 nostalgia itself—
 can all be
 created by
 orange.

What is orange?
 Maybe it’s just...

everything
 you didn’t know
 you were looking for.