Flying Colors: A sister reflects on the vibrant symbolism of her twin brother’s wedding day
Before their wedding, my twin brother Ethan and his then-fiancée Samhita Rao asked me to read a passage during their civil ceremony. Besides no Corinthians and no Shakespeare, the only parameters were to find a piece that represented them to me. After a few weeks of skimming through my book collection and making my way through about 132 pages of The Poetry Foundation’s website, I landed on “Colors Passing Through Us” by Marge Piercy.
The poem recalls the small joys that tint a life built together. A stanza “purple as the stain blackberries leave on the lips,” matches a perennial memory from our South Louisiana childhood; while “orange as my cat running lithe through the high grass” made me think of Samhita’s cat Sunshine, who, with a marigold spot on her back, relishes in her daily roll in the backyard clovers.
Piercy also mentions the red of henna, with which “women color each other on hands and on feet.” Little did I know in February how resonant that line would become. Now, I’ll always associate the color red with Samhita’s bridal henna, a tapestry of classic Indian designs melded with motifs of New Orleans wrought iron and images from Cajun quilt patterns.
Among the vibrant hues present over the three-day celebration of marriage—bouquets, silks, dishes and décor in crimson red, royal blue, chartreuse, lavender, carnation pink—it’s a much subtler palette that lingers in my mind. I think of the white mare Ethan processed in on, with generations of Barbins and Raos, friends and loved ones parading behind him. I think of the sage green of the Spanish moss hanging from City Park’s ancient oaks. I think of the silver safety pins that held tight the drape of our dupattas for hours on end. I think of Saturday’s heavy-bottomed gray clouds, which held their weight until the moment we sent off the newlyweds. A wet knot is harder to untie, after all.
A few guests sought me out over the course of the reception to tell me how much the reading resonated with them, identifying their own associations between the poem and the happy couple. Writing this essay a few months later, I think of the innumerable colors Ethan and Samhita will collect in their lifetime together, and how many more lines will continue to ring true to us, those lucky enough to know them.
