I usually write a short story based on suggestions from the readers, but this week, I was particularly inspired by the debate that raged over #TheDress that broke the internet.
HUED
In the land of the ‘Net,
There appeared such a dress,
That the mess it expressed,
No one ever’d have guessed.
‘Twas one simple picture
That one woman shared
Which would incite the masses
Who weren’t prepared
For the onslaught of arguments
Folks would engage;
Clicking link after link,
Citing page after page.
“And why,” you may ask,
“would a dress take attention
That folks ‘round the world
Would express such contention?”
I have to agree
That the subject is odd,
But the ‘Net and the weird
Are like peas in a pod.
Two questions pervaded,
Opinions were traded,
And trolls sat and waited,
And hated, and baited.
“The dress: white and gold?”
“Could it be black and blue?”
All the people kept asking.
(They’d naught else to do.)
Within seconds, new hashtags.
In minutes, satires.
One hour: new t-shirts,
Sprung up for the buyers.
The rest of the day,
People yelled and resented.
By midnight, they knew
This could never be mended.
The world had divided
In twain. The two clans
Were the Tribe – White and Gold,
And the Blue and Black Band.
The nations would topple,
For borders were drawn
Between houses of neighbors.
(Right there on the lawn!)
Even people who were
Sitting by one another,
Like sister and brother,
Or father and mother,
Would stare at the picture,
And heatedly say,
“It’s so clear that I’m right!
You should see things my way!”
So they typed and they texted,
They tweeted and posted.
The most hosted post,
Was the comment that boasted
A scientist’s claim
To have figured the answer.
The world soon exclaimed,
“Please explain what you can, sir!”
The scientist wrote
In a manner so snooty,
“The eye, while a famous
Beholder of beauty,
Is always dependent
On measure of light
That bounces from objects,
Enabling sight.
Exposure from cameras
Will change that amount.
The brains of some people
Will simply discount
One or other of colors.
What then happens next
Is that visual perception
Relies on context.
The science is simple.
We know to be fact,
That the dress in the picture
Is blue and it’s black.”
From the Tribe came an outcry,
“Atrocious!” they bellowed.
A woman emerged
To make sure they all mellowed.
“Oh, science has set up
A capital T
For the Truth that it claims,
But I wish you would see
That the truth isn’t always
A clear black and white.
The colors we see are just
Tricks of the light.
There’s more to the picture
Than only two hues,
The golds and the blues
Are just views of the crews.”
It was here that the leaders
Of Band and of Tribe
Raised their voices in protest
And turned to their scribes.
So those writers typed out
All the angry frustrations
Of terrible clans
And their harsh accusations.
They pointed and blamed
With fingers a-flying.
They jibed and offended.
(Without even trying!)
The fight escalated
To the point of a war.
‘Til it seemed that the world
Wouldn’t take any more.
Not a person could mention
The dress without starting
An angry debate
That had people departing.
Tribe and Band: Both sat poised
On the verge of extinction
Through stupid insistence
On color distinction.
The moment it seemed that
The ending was near,
And the world as we knew it
Would just disappear.
A video featuring
Cats who cavort
With puppies and babies –
And more of this sort –
Enraptured the public,
Bestirring emotion.
The ‘Net soon exploded
With happy commotion!
So laughter and cheering
Displaced hate and sorrow.
“What else might the ‘Net bring?
We’ll find out tomorrow.”
The crews were disbanded
And peace soon restored.
The world swiftly righted;
The grievances cured.
Thus ended the day the world split
(more or less)
Because of the hues
In the post of a dress.
There appeared such a dress,
That the mess it expressed,
No one ever’d have guessed.
‘Twas one simple picture
That one woman shared
Which would incite the masses
Who weren’t prepared
For the onslaught of arguments
Folks would engage;
Clicking link after link,
Citing page after page.
“And why,” you may ask,
“would a dress take attention
That folks ‘round the world
Would express such contention?”
I have to agree
That the subject is odd,
But the ‘Net and the weird
Are like peas in a pod.
Two questions pervaded,
Opinions were traded,
And trolls sat and waited,
And hated, and baited.
“The dress: white and gold?”
“Could it be black and blue?”
All the people kept asking.
(They’d naught else to do.)
Within seconds, new hashtags.
In minutes, satires.
One hour: new t-shirts,
Sprung up for the buyers.
The rest of the day,
People yelled and resented.
By midnight, they knew
This could never be mended.
The world had divided
In twain. The two clans
Were the Tribe – White and Gold,
And the Blue and Black Band.
The nations would topple,
For borders were drawn
Between houses of neighbors.
(Right there on the lawn!)
Even people who were
Sitting by one another,
Like sister and brother,
Or father and mother,
Would stare at the picture,
And heatedly say,
“It’s so clear that I’m right!
You should see things my way!”
So they typed and they texted,
They tweeted and posted.
The most hosted post,
Was the comment that boasted
A scientist’s claim
To have figured the answer.
The world soon exclaimed,
“Please explain what you can, sir!”
The scientist wrote
In a manner so snooty,
“The eye, while a famous
Beholder of beauty,
Is always dependent
On measure of light
That bounces from objects,
Enabling sight.
Exposure from cameras
Will change that amount.
The brains of some people
Will simply discount
One or other of colors.
What then happens next
Is that visual perception
Relies on context.
The science is simple.
We know to be fact,
That the dress in the picture
Is blue and it’s black.”
From the Tribe came an outcry,
“Atrocious!” they bellowed.
A woman emerged
To make sure they all mellowed.
“Oh, science has set up
A capital T
For the Truth that it claims,
But I wish you would see
That the truth isn’t always
A clear black and white.
The colors we see are just
Tricks of the light.
There’s more to the picture
Than only two hues,
The golds and the blues
Are just views of the crews.”
It was here that the leaders
Of Band and of Tribe
Raised their voices in protest
And turned to their scribes.
So those writers typed out
All the angry frustrations
Of terrible clans
And their harsh accusations.
They pointed and blamed
With fingers a-flying.
They jibed and offended.
(Without even trying!)
The fight escalated
To the point of a war.
‘Til it seemed that the world
Wouldn’t take any more.
Not a person could mention
The dress without starting
An angry debate
That had people departing.
Tribe and Band: Both sat poised
On the verge of extinction
Through stupid insistence
On color distinction.
The moment it seemed that
The ending was near,
And the world as we knew it
Would just disappear.
A video featuring
Cats who cavort
With puppies and babies –
And more of this sort –
Enraptured the public,
Bestirring emotion.
The ‘Net soon exploded
With happy commotion!
So laughter and cheering
Displaced hate and sorrow.
“What else might the ‘Net bring?
We’ll find out tomorrow.”
The crews were disbanded
And peace soon restored.
The world swiftly righted;
The grievances cured.
Thus ended the day the world split
(more or less)
Because of the hues
In the post of a dress.
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