Faded Shades of Life

Faded

Gone are the days when faded meant old;

Worn out, expired, out of touch;

When clothes had an expiring date;

Starting with the moment they get their first wash;

Things were only appreciated when they looked new;

Used extensively when in vogue;

Tossed at the slight sign of fabric stress;

And considered rag-worthy when they fade;

Gone are the days when ‘torn’ meant ragged;

Exclusive for the homeless and the mentally-ill;

Passed down to the less privileged;

Or thrown down to mop the messy floors;

It was the end of the road for the poor attire;

Losing its dignity of formerly being hanged in the closet;

And receiving compliments from many lips;

Now faded is the new shade;

And torn is the new design;

Beauty doesn’t just lie in the eyes of the beholder;

We see it as such when the people who ‘matter’ say it is;

What we disregard becomes the most sought-after;

When a celebrity endorses it;

We see a different dimension of beautiful;

When someone ‘opens’ our eyes;

And re-adjusts our perspective;

Just as we can proudly strut around;

In our faded shades of color;

And hang them with the rich-colored attires;

We can also appreciate the faded shades of our lives;

Not giving up on them;

But appreciating the beauty in their difference;

Relationships will never remain blissful;

But even after the thrills and butterflies cease;

We can find something else to appreciate;

Starting something new is always exciting;

A new startup, project, friendship, marriage;

But after a while, it fades;

We don’t give up on our projects;

Because they don’t excite us as before;

The furniture doesn’t look and smell new anymore;

But we find something else to get us going.

There’s beauty in everything;

If only we refocus our lenses;

We’d see them clearly;

Don’t give up on the faded pieces of your life;

See them as shades of beauty.

© Josephine Amoako 2016

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