Rainbows!

June Monthly Challenge

Rainbows in parks, rainbows in our surroundings, rainbows in butterflies? All photos by author.

I consider myself a fairly novice writer. I’ve been casually writing for years, always found comfort in books, and am the fastest to raise my hand during Shakespeare trivia.

That’s the thing about being a writer, though. It makes rough versions of written pieces instantly scaffold in your head.

So when I saw rainbows as the monthly challenge on “Picture This,” I had my top 5 within seconds. Not only can I remember the exact pictures — I remember exactly how I felt when I took them.

1. This rainbow we saw on the drive from Toronto to Montreal.

It was one of my first times seeing a rainbow (or at least remembering seeing it). My friend and I were driving together. We were pretty nervous about the trip, since it was our first time travelling together. Just the two of us. Deep down though, I knew there was nothing to worry about. Sometimes you just need friends that feel like home. This was one of those. I remember playing a throwback tunes playlist. Taylor Swift and One Direction blaring through the speakers. I remember taking over the wheel and my friend taking a nap. That’s when we saw the rainbow.

2. This rainbow I spotted after getting off the bus in Lisbon, Portugal.

I picked a pretty terrible time to go to Portugal. Normally, you should research the climate of a country before booking a plane ticket. I didn’t. Turns out October is one of the rainiest months in Portugal.

This day was particularly rainy. It was a constant cycle of relentless downpours and misty grey skies coming out to catch their breath. All before the clouds unleashed again. Even though I saw people out and about in the morning, the whole city cleared out by the first downpour. As if they knew exactly what was coming.

I remember seeing rainbows much before this one showed up in the sky, though. Lisbon is a city of rainbows. You see them when you gaze down from the viewpoints in Alfama. You see them in city trams, centuries-old bookstores, and Pink Street. A lot of Lisbon feels like rainbows. Like a background of white buildings with carvings, adopted by creative misfits that breathed art and rainbows into its soul.

More rainbows in Lisbon!

3. This trio of pictures from the Pride Parade in Toronto last year.

For years, members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been marginalized, questioned, and forced to hide their identities. In many parts of the world, they still are. In fact, I grew up in a culture where religion dominates the social fabric and acceptance is not the default. To this day, I know people who are incredibly intelligent, educated, and high achieving, but can’t bring themselves to accept someone who is gay. They simply don’t focus on the stories. If they did, maybe they’d see beyond the statistics and learn about the experience of growing up gay in a fundamentalist Christian or Muslim household. The shame, struggles, and internal conflict. One who pushed past it and one who didn’t. These are the stories of two of my close friends. And I don’t hate or love them any less because of how this impacts their story.

I love them for who they are, how they treat me, and everything they are. Including their sexuality.

Showing up and marching in this parade was a way for me to silently protest against the shackles of my upbringing. What a way to honor my friends, and what a great use of the rainbow.

4. These pictures of the Penang skies.

I know there’s no rainbow here. Hell, it doesn’t even look remotely like a rainbow. But even though this was over 8 years ago, it is one of the earliest memories I have of being so moved that I was forced to write. The sky looked so beautiful. So sad. So communicative.

Almost as if it was urging the world to pay attention. But it didn’t get to do that in a crowded city. For the sky to send this message, you had to travel to a remote highway in Malaysia. With most of the passengers asleep. And maybe, then, you could hear what it said.

This is also the first and only time I remember writing a poem. And while I (regrettably) lost the poem itself in an act of teenage nonchalance, I did find the last line of it in a recent forage through my Google Photos.

And only when I return To the backgrounds once painted by our words Does it hit me

How we can always go back to the places we enjoyed But never the same people we were.

5. This picture from a recent drive in Mississauga, Ontario.

It was a sunny day and we went for a hike. On the way back, it suddenly started pouring. We were just getting on the highway, and my friend said “I wonder if we’ll see a rainbow.”

And a rainbow we did see. In fact, we actually saw a double rainbow! I wasn’t brave enough to whip out my phone while on the highway, but I did take a picture after dropping her off.

Mostly because I was stopped at a traffic light. But also because I had just showcased an excellent display of driving, and had brought my friends together. Me. The girl who, 2 years ago, didn’t have a car and had no idea how to drive. Who always thought she’d live in the city and take public transit. Who couldn’t have imagined what it felt like to just get in a car and go.

Another milestone ticked away like an item on a to-do list, while my younger self watched over in disbelief.