Perhaps a purist will scoff, a musicologist for example, when I hitch a rainbow (a double rainbow) to resonance. But I’ll claim poetic license long enough to sneak past the physics police or whoever else patrols these matters. Rainbow resonance isn’t just a pleasantly alliterative title for this post. It’s an observation. Rainbows — witnessed in person, via image, or in words — resonate. They reverberate. Visual reverberation, visual resonance. I’ll defer to the more scientifically inclined to explain why this phenomenon is true. I’ll simply assert it. Rainbow resonance is real. Spy a rainbow, and you instantly want to convey it through some form of communication.
“Hey, look. A rainbow!”
Or you snap a photo, text it to your beloved.
Maybe you pen a poem or paint a watercolor or compose a song…
On August 18, 2020 I witnessed and romanced this rainbow from Rosslyn’s lawn and then from our waterfront. I snapped a photo and typed a quick haiku. And then I shared them. Rainbow resonance. It’s real.
Rainbow Resonance: Haiku
Here’s the arresting impossibility of a double rainbow distilled into as few words as possible, lest the words occlude the vibrant arcs.
Iris arcing her opulent salutation ‘tween earth and ether.
Perhaps this is a nod to Pablo Neruda.
Dónde termina el arco iris, en tu alma o en el horizonte? Where does the rainbow end, in your soul or on the horizon? — Pablo Neruda, Libro de las Preguntas (Book of Questions)
Or perhaps this is just a haiku nodding at a double rainbow…
Rainbow Reverb: Social Media
Sometimes a thought, image, or video posted onto social media drifts briefly and then vanishes. Short lived. A non event. A message whispered into the chasm, swallowed by the wind and water and a mesmerizing murmuration.
Once in a while a message is timely or touching, a lucky capture, or for some other mysterious reason finds its target. Again and again. Reverberating. Resonant. These moments can be affirming and beautiful.
When I shared the rainbow over Lake Champlain photograph at the top of this post (and below) on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter on August 18, 2020 I was pleasantly surprised with the feedback. I include all three posts as an effort to interweave some of the most compelling comments. Enjoy.
https://www.twitter.com/RosslynRedux/status/1295915240421502977
Click on this Facebook link to view the original FB post (or add the following URL into your browser.)
https://www.facebook.com/rosslynredux/photos/a.193160807397700/3188013817912369/
Thanks!
What do you think?