Jane Lillian Vance

"a boat. a bridge. a lamp."

Purple

 

2-14-17


The Purple Color Board

If there is one color which softens our mortality, which indicates the soul, that color is purple.

 

Like plush, deep Persian carpets, purple graces and cushions our lives. As the skin of fruits, as flowers, as berries and their stains; in patterns on shawls or scarves or linen bedding, we find its pleasure.

In lilac, eggplant, mulberry; in orchid, violets, magenta; in lavender, plum, and elderberry, every touch of purple whispers intimations of immortality.

I hear those secrets. I'm in a conspiracy with the color purple.

In the year 532, the Roman Empress Theodora advised her distressed husband, Emperor Justinian, that yes--having heard of a plot to overthrow 

them, they could successfully rush and flee to safe exile beyond the border--but they could also instead choose to try to maintain their place, protecting their cherished beauty and civility. And if the marauders were to overpower them, Theodora said, she knew how she would be discovered, how she would be garbed. "Purple," she said, "is the noblest shroud."

The new book I have co-authored with Gil Harrington, Morgan Harrington: Murdered and Dead for Good, features purple on its cover. Purple was Morgan's color. We had that in common. Please order your copy at helpsavethenextgirl.com

 

Jane Lillian Vance