I used to despise my brown eyes. I would look in the mirror and wish they were blue or green or hazel, or basically any other color but brown.
To me, brown was boring, bland, and barf-worthy.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that one of my brothers used to tell me:
"Your eyes are so brown because you're full of crap".
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that had something to do with it. Associating your eyes with feces is bound to make you a little self-conscious about them.
Of course, it doesn't help that almost every song on the radio that even mentions eyes at all seems to obsess about blue ones (except for the song "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison, which I absolutely love).
When I was pregnant with Nicole, I used to lay in bed with my hands on my rounded belly and imagine what the little soul who lived there would look like. I crossed my fingers and hoped that she would look a bit like me, but without my icky brown eyes.
But then, she was born, and everything changed. Staring into her eyes was like looking into a mirror, and for the first time, I realized that brown eyes are beautiful. Her eyes inspired me to write this:
Her dark, soulful eyes are the color of a mature red oak
and the impossibly rich and fertile brown earth of a Japanese field
on a mist-drenched morning.
Like the smooth, unassuming surface of a cocoa bean
and the soft, warm fur of a chocolate-colored bear lazing in the warm sun.
Like a forest floor littered with crunchy fall leaves
and muddy, sacred waters that give life to a parched African desert.
Brown is blissful.
Brown is brooding.
Brown is beloved.
Brown is beautiful.
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I hated my brown eyes too for the longest time. I've just recently excepted them as a part of who I am and they aren't so bad. :) You and your daughter have beautiful eyes too and I'm glad you've come to realize that.
ReplyDeleteYour eyes are so cool Alicia! They are more like a reddish-brown that matches your hair. I have always loved them.
ReplyDeleteI remember the "full of crap" comment, and was told it several times, even though my eyes are hazel. The joys of older brothers. :)
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to have a real, single color, instead of a mix; however, I have come to accept my eye color as part of who I am.
Brown is beautiful, and has so much depth.
I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one that was pestered with the "full of crap" comment! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's just funny to me how people tend to be critical of their own features, especially when other people really like those particular features.
And see, i have blue eyes, but always thought it would be more fun to be a blond with brown eyes. We are never happy with what we have, right? But i loved the poem, i love your eyes, and i LOVE LOVE your sweet Nicoles deep dark eyes.
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that we have a hard time being happy with what we are naturally born with. I think your eyes are one of your most striking features Mary! Thank you for the compliments!
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