True Colours

My rengay, “True Colours,” was quoted and commented on in Frogpond 49:1, Winter 2026, page 120, in an essay by Joan C. Fingon and Lee Hudspeth titled “Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The Power of Color in Haiku.” Here’s the commentary:

Color Itself as the Subject of a Poem

Michael Dylan Welch’s rengay “True Colours” explores the various meanings in which the concept of color can be incorporated into a poem. In verse one, the double meaning of the expression “true colours” contrasts between an abstract painting’s use of color and the monetization of a creative work. In verse two, the colloquialism “off-colour” appears, meaning socially inappropriate, adding to the light humor. The poem’s various roles and perspectives (the psychiatrist, teacher, realtor, district attorney, and photographer) demonstrate differences in the meanings of the word “color” in the English language.