I Am Curious (Yellow and Blue) Part 1

The Reluctant Virgin






I had been putting it off for years. That sacred consumer’s pilgrimage, that testament of faith in Modern Design, my pledge of allegiance to my Scandinavian heritage: My first trip to IKEA. My initial impression, from the Mall of America approach ramp, was not of a building, nay, rather it was of a vision of geometric planes in yellow and blue, mirroring the colors of the Swedish flag. I wondered what my Swedish-born Grandmother would think of this—a building whose footprint was probably twenty times the acreage of her tiny hobby farm.







It was so crowded that I had to park in the overflow lot; whatever the economists are saying about retail sales didn’t apply here. Crossing the street to get to the ground-level entrance, my heart skipped a beat- I was almost there!

Those vibrant yellow walls were almost too much to bear.
My field of vision was overwhelmed,
I was squinting in discomfort.
It was my last chance to turn around.
I wavered and then, gathering all of my resolve,
I went in.


Tomorrow: Brave New World