DAILY DREAMKU &/OR DREAM TANKA WITH DIGITAL PHOTO (by Roswila), & INTRODUCTION

STALKING

closed off and
aflutter with dark pigeons
the boy’s aviary

one bird escapes
and intrudes on his apartment
curious waddler

a long grey cat
starts stalking the plump pigeon
I round on the cat

grey paw above grey head
it lies flat on the floor
picture of innocence

as I turn away
the cat starts stalking again
nature of the beast


[dreamku series on dream of 11-20-09; Image: "Me and My Shadow" by Roswila] PLEASE NOTE that in most browsers you can click on the above image for a larger version. Also, that the photo accompanying a daily dream poem is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the dream verse -- similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku).

If you comment about a specific dreamku, dream tanka, series, or photo please identify it somehow in your comment or email, as this post changes daily and I sometimes can't tell what is being referred to. Thanks!

If you wish, you can view all of the DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA and PHOTOS posted in a month, as they appear after the end of that month in one post on this blog.

There are many other sorts of posts here, not all dream-based. I indicate which are about or influenced by dreams. Some non-dream focused posts are book reviews, "regular" poems (some by other writers than myself), scifaiku, writing exercises, Tarot haiku, photos, haiga, and so on.

INTRODUCTION:

Taking digital photos is my newest consuming passion. I'm a thorough going newbie, never having taken any photos before January of 2009, who's greatly enjoying learning by trial and error. My basis for choosing a photo from my files for the daily post is not that it necessarily literally illustrate the Daily Dreamku, but that (as with Japanese haiga) it in some subtle, even slant way references an aspect of the daily writing posted.

For more information about dreamku, here's a link to the introduction to DREAMJIN, my yahoo group, where you can join us as we explore dreams and this small but powerful new haiku-like poetry form: DREAMJIN: A Group for Dreamku, Haiku-Like Dream Poems.

Links to a my three-part post "A DREAMKU PRIMER: Writing Haiku-Like Poems About Your Night Dreams": PART ONE: Introduction & Writing Dreamku as DreamWork; PART TWO: Elements of the Haiku Form Used in Dreamku; and PART THREE: How to Write Dreamku (the second and third parts have some overlap). If you try your hand at or have already written dreamku, please feel free to post some in a comment or email them to me (under "View My Complete Profile" in the sidebar) or join DREAMJIN (see above).

I am still learning about how best to write tanka based on dreams, mostly as I am far newer to the tanka form than that of haiku. Most of the time I've been developing the dreamku form I've been as much -- and even more so -- concerned with the craft as with the dream content itself. But now I find with both dreamku and dream tanka, I'm leaning a bit more toward being focused on the dream itself. This may shift again, in fact I suspect it will. When that happens I will again be spending more time and effort on learning about the many subleties of the tanka form, and how they might work with our night dreams. At that time I will share in posts here what results from that process.

N.B. I offer all of my work on this blog -- poetry, prose or art -- simply as explorations. Also, in working with this blog I have realized I am essentially telling the story of my life. In a jig-saw puzzle form, piece by piece. I hope you get something from whatever pieces of the picture you view.

P.S. If you see any typos anywhere on this site, I'd love it if you'd email me or leave a comment telling me what and where. I recently found some typos in older posts (despite all the proofing I do) and it was a bit like having been out in public grinning and then finding I had spinach in my teeth!

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN OCTOBER 2009

... And another very hard month, but now at least I feel it’s all headed somewhere. I’m managing to effectively decompress my life (i.e. taking on fewer projects over all) and I’m finally disengaging from the significant other relationship I’ve been in for over a year. (I know, I know :-D you’ve heard this before, so I guess I’ll just have to wait and let time prove it for you, and me.)

Did I just say I’m taking on fewer projects? That’s true. However, I’ve taken on one really big one: producing – from soup to nuts – an anthology of poetry by residents in the senior community I live in. And why? Because I let my enthusiasm run over my memory of how complicated and time consuming it is to do something like this. But seriously, it is a wonderful project and the smiles on fellow residents’ faces when they think of seeing their work in print -- some for the first time -- is heartwarming.

On to dreamku – this one from October 4 talks to my constant struggle these days which is to deal with babyish intense emotions:

she speaks and walks
like a full grown person
big blonde baby

And these two from October 8 (a dream monoku) and October 17 (a dreamku pair) respectively, I like for their soft moods:

shadows dapple the baby elephant waits and watches

* * * * * * * *

TWO TREES

two dark leaved trees
grow bent in the constant wind
circular driveway

echoing curve
the larger tree’s branches
partly shield the smaller

Hope you’re having a lovely fall season and that your Thanksgiving is filled with things to be grateful for.

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA, AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN OCTOBER 2009

[PLEASE NOTE that in most browsers you can click on the image for a larger version.]


October 1, 2009


my daughters are dead
it's all I recall of the dream
doubled grief

[dreamku on a dream of 9-30-09. My initial take on this dream fragment is that of my major passions, I’ve been shamefully neglecting two: poetry and especially Tarot (dreams and digital photography are still getting a good amount of attention). It’s been a matter of having to prioritize as my life changes. This is painful and difficult. I’d say what I’m grieving is the freedom to do what I want, when I want. As I did when I first moved here (and did pretty much for years before I left New York city). My primary relationship (yes, it’s on again, but for how long remains to be seen) comes first before almost anything else. But it is not my entire life. I’ve never had to do this sort of intense choosing and balancing before. I find it hard, but hopefully it will continue to be worth it. Image by Roswila]




October 2, 2009


PLAGUED

back from a space trip
I have faith my suit seal held
stripped bare

one of my space boots
starts wiggling on its own
contamination

so I did not
get away scot free
I hit the boot

again and again
I squash the boot, desperate
to kill the worm
the one small worm that could start
an incurable plague

at last I succeed
the worm is dead but I’ve
been exposed

testing room
I await the verdict
on my condition

Barack Obama
happily welcomes me back
to planet Earth
unaware I’ve been exposed --
I yell at him to back off

how could I bear
such a horrible guilt:
to kill our president

[dreamku series including one dream tanka on a dream of 9-30-09. This comment is only partly a joke: I feel plagued by my recurrent PMS. No, not premenstrual syndrome, but pre-moon syndrome. I get more than a bit weird during the waxing gibbous moon phase, which we are in now. I’m also struck with a sense of exaggeration in this dream, i.e. the drama and self-importance of it all. Am I taking these mood swings far more seriously than is necessary? And is that more a problem than the swings themselves? We Alanons (children of alcoholics) have often absorbed the family tendency to self-inflation and addiction to drama. P.S. Since drafting this comment, something has happened in a relationship that confirms my sense of exaggeration. And the other person appears to be acting just as dramatic as I – insert Big Painful Wry Laugh here. Oh, and given that interaction, I see how this dream predicted what was about to happen. No claim though to anything psychic here; my emotions and my knowledge of the other person were certainly information enough to produce the “predictive” dream. Image by Roswila]



October 3, 2009


HIPPIE THROWBACK

musical audition
am I hired only
as the token senior

the young cast is huge –
with another elder on board
I feel even less needed

she stammers as she
introduces herself to me
fellow horse lover

how do we fit in
what do they want from us
hippie throwback show

[dream series on a dream of 9-30-09. Immediate take? I’m outmoded, outdated, can’t keep up, and wonder why I should keep showing up at all for the play. Tired of being condescended to and having it be so obvious that I am all too readily replaceable. Wondering why anyone wants me around to begin with. (Yeah, it was a hard morning and this afternoon isn’t much better.) What’s intriguing is, on a level of reality, I was a hippie and know more about that life than any young person portraying it in a show today. Guess I’m wanting respect for my life experiences. Maybe there’s also some nostalgia for all the hope we had as hippies, and what we understood to be radical thinking and living. And I do love horses, always have. Some yearning here for a friend with similar passions? That stammering? I’m so tired of being aware I intimidate people. I’ve heard this most of my adult life and never been able to do much about it. I also associate it to something in an awful movie I saw the night I had this dream (“The Ruling Class”). The main character was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. When he switched from openly declaring he was God, to acting “normally” but secretly believing he was Jack the Ripper, he developed a stammer. Seeing the fellow horse lover in this dream as also me, what am I repressing or feeling I must repress in order to appear normal? A quick guess: the way I stress out, get really cranky, and ultimately lose my considerable temper (especially under a waxing gibbous moon phase). Or rather I may be repressing the fear that this temper will never allow me the sort(s) of close relationship(s) I really want. Who will stand for me? And maybe an even deeper fear that I really am hopelessly crazy.

Image: "Where's Juliet?" (taken in Solvang, CA) by Roswila]



October 4, 2009


she speaks and walks
like a full grown person
big blonde baby

[dreamku on a dream of 9/30/09; a clear warning -- that I did not hear at the time – to watch out for and attend to some babyish emotions that were going to be troublesome, the biggest part of the trouble? even recognizing those feelings as babyish; Image: "Conception," by Roswila]



October 5, 2009


MOVING TARGET

my camera angle’s
wrong to capture the full moon
moving target

I hurry sideways
but the moon’s faster
empty night sky

[dreamku pair on a dream of 9-29-09; Image by Roswila]



October 6, 2009


BROADWAY

movie or real life
a night time ride down Broadway
well known lights and bill boards
it’s not The Great White Way I miss
but the familiarity

[dream tanka on a dream of 10-05-09; Image by Roswila]



October 7, 2009


IN HIDING

elevated train
barely hiding hostility
she rubs her left foot

blood seeps through her sock
I timorously point out
that she’s injured

her cutting response
did she even understand
my attempt to care

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-5-09; Image by Roswila]



October 8, 2009


shadows dapple the baby elephant waits and watches

[dream monoku posted by me in a comment, May 2009. Chose this old dream/ku because it pretty much echos how I'm feeling, waiting to see how the changes in my life play out with as much calm as possible; Image by Roswila]



October 9, 2009


BARACK MALINGERS

Obama runs from
the Presidency for a day
he entices me

he’s also quite
openly flirting with me
two hugs in a row

how do I feel
about this married man
I switch the focus

down escalator
government staff must be
in a panic, I say

as when JFK’s
helicopter crashed, recall?
only you’re not dead

we continue the brief freedom run rebel friends

[dreamku series topped by a dream monoku on a dream of 10-8-09; Image by Roswila]



October 10, 2009


The Magician card,
The Wheel, and The Hanged Man
lie in a straight row
I say: manifesting change
and then surrendering

[dream tanka on a dream of 10/12/08; previously posted to Roswila's Tarot Gallery & Journal, posting here today as I feel I'm really stuck on that "surrender" part; Image: "The Wheel of Fortune" in my Found Tarot deck, by Roswila]



October 11, 2009


"....and he sips gladly
from her well-worn walking shoe"
country song refrain

[dreamku on a dream of 10-06-09; Image: "Footsies, too," by Roswila]



October 12, 2009


ADAM’S APPLES

over-ripe full-size
apples fill the tiny tree
browning bruised skins

I peel the outer
layer off each yellow apple
golden skin beneath

Adam says I shouldn’t
have cleaned up the apples
they were fine as is

how can that be?
I deny I did all the peeling
and bite into one

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-11-09; Image by Roswila]



October 13, 2009


A CLEAR CONCERN

it takes three attempts
to get her to talk to me
beautiful blonde teen

she’s extremely bright
and attends ballet classes
child of privilege

are her parents
firm enough to guide her
a clear concern

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-12-09; Image by Roswila]



October 14, 2009


ON A ROLL

T.V. bowling
he rolls the small metal ball
toward the screen

it rolls back into
a magnetic cup on the floor
strike!

[dreamku pair on a dream of 10-12-09; Image by Roswila]



October 15, 2009


ODD GATHERING

an odd gathering
I’m trying to comb my long hair
at a big dresser

people want to eat
at the dresser like a table
my frustration

[dreamku pair on a dream of 10-12-09; Image by Roswila]



October 16, 2009


WISHING

on the carpeted
floor a small dark object
I pick it up

it’s a toy
hinged cats of many shapes and
sizes morph in my palm

I finally fold it
all back up and close my hand
I wish for horses

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-14-09; Image by Roswila, taken in Lompoc, CA, a city known for it's murals]



October 17, 2009


TWO TREES

two dark leaved trees
grow bent in the constant wind
circular driveway

echoing curve
the larger tree’s branches
partly shield the smaller

[dreamku pair on a dream of 10-16-09; Image by Roswila]



October 18, 2009


MONSTER ON THE STEPS

the crowd starts up
the steep narrow boat stairs
new level

from above, the warning:
a huge dark sea monster’s
coming down the steps

we all turn around
squeezing back down the stairs
windows line the deck

fearing there’s no time
to get to the deck below
a man and I try
to break window after window
in order to jump ship

the windows won’t break
but simply reverb a bit
wasted effort

he finally knocks a
huge door-size window open
the way out

[dreamku series and a dream tanka on a dream of 10-17-09; Image by Roswila]



October 19, 2009


THE CAVE

he’s much darker
and quite handsome in old photos
sharing memories

the story for one:
he and three others were trapped
in a huge cave-in
he was the only one to
climb out on his own once freed

the others were strapped
each to a strong rescuer
hauled up in pairs

before cave-in photo:
hieroglyphs line the walls
uncracked and unread

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-15-09; Image by Roswila]



October 20, 2009


HOLDING ON

end of the affair
they keep holding on
to each other

any excuse to touch
she points to the crocheted hats
she’s giving away

none can ever know
they were secret lovers
how will she let go

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-18-09; Image by Roswila]



October 21, 2009


UNDER A HARVEST MOON

we all disagree
as to what the story is
Super- or Spider-man
but it’s clear to us a hero
is actually needed

I’m a youthful man
with a young male sidekick
we attempt rescue

the anxious woman
held captive is our friend
we get caught, too

our friend sees us
in her captors’ station wagon
she assumes betrayal

we struggle free
in spite of pregnancies
forced on us by
our captors, and rush to our
dear friend’s rescue at last

I ultimately
decide to keep the embryo
it feels like mine now

a good time to grow Harvest Moon

[dreamku series with two dream tanka and a capping dream monoku, on a dream of 10-14-09; Image: "Jail Break" by Roswila]



October 22, 2009


RETRIEVING

a man is strapped to
a dark leather stretching board
in-house prisoner

friendship bonds
two male cohorts and I free
him from this torture

we all scurry to vamoose absent captors

where are my glasses
I cannot leave without them
our jailors return

my friends have escaped
I retrieve my eyeglasses
but it’s too late

one white-haired captor
says to a youthful buddy
“Sex with her
would be fun for me to watch,
why not have at her right now”

oh so carefully
I succeed in telling them off
intact dignity

[dreamku series with a dream monoku and dream tanka on a dream of 10-21-09; Image by Roswila]



October 23, 2009


MUSIC

he whispers so
he can move in closer
I like him near

his breath tickles my temple music is his offering

[dreamku and monoku on a dream of 10-16-09; Image by Roswila]



October 24, 2009


THE SEA’S EDGE

she’s infantalized her son fearful mother

her clinging stunts him
he walks with great difficulty
toddler-sized teen

she won’t release him
he limps to the sea’s edge
straining at the bond:

why won’t you let me go circling seagulls

[dreamku pair opened and capped by a dream monoku on a dream of 10-23-09. This is one of those extremely valuable dreams. Although it did not tell me anything new, it did pointedly bring home my struggle with fear and fully "growing up" my masculine aspect (in Jungian terms, the animus). And it brought it home in an extremely graphic way, even pointing me to how much of my physical issues are effected by this "infantalizing" fear. Ah, tell a little lie, just typing that has caused me to wonder for the first time if my own mother weren't equally fearful. This is a new thought and bears some exploration so that I can ultimately deal with our fear. I think it is also true that my mother's early death "bonded" me to her in a life-long way that has not been helpful; a bonding with fear of loss that makes all close relationships difficult for me. Additionally, it has been extremely tempting to interpret this dream as representative of my umpteenth (and I believe final) break-up with my significant other. There is some relevance there, but the true struggle is mine between aspects of myself.] Image by Roswila.



October 25, 2009


LONG DUSTY WALK

long dusty walk to
the center of the city
college night class

afterwards
I seek a ride home
aching feet and heart

[dreamku pair on a dream of 10-20-09; Image by Roswila -- and, yes, that's a reflection of me in the picture; first time I'd set myself down for some while, I'd been snapping pictures of the murals in Lompoc, CA; guess my brain got tired, too. :-D]



October 26, 2009


photography shoot
hugely pregnant women circle
what's the best angle

[dreamku on a dream of 10-16-09; Image by Roswila]



October 27, 2009


HUNGER

he makes love to me
in an open dark alley
who’s observing

I go to stay at
the homeless camp where he lives
coupons for food

does he ignore
or simply not notice me
hunger trumps my hurt

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-20-09; Image by Roswila]



October 28, 2009


GOING SOUTH

“Move to Florida?
That far South!? It’s a mistake.
They’ll die of boredom”

I’m not so sure
maybe they’ll have nice neighbors
and their dog, run space

they disagree Know-It-Alls-United

[two dreamku and a dream monoku on a dream of 9-9-09. At the time of this dream I didn’t have a clue about it, but now I think I have the edge of a pun to grasp, i.e. reading “going south” as heading for failure or getting old LOL! Image by Roswila]



October 29, 2009


BASEMENT DAIRY FARM

the woman owner
is on full-time dialysis
basement dairy farm

a man on part-time
dialysis helps run the farm
he’s the key

another woman
helps him manage the business
her tidy profit

[dreamku series on a dream of 10-28-09. When I worked with this dream it turned out to be massively helpful with a core issue of mine. Won’t go into all the details. Suffice it to say animus, ego, and shadow (in a rare positive “incarnation”) all make their appearance, along with newly emerging positive behavior even as the consequences of old behavior get cleaned up/out, and more. And I’ll add that another dream later this same night also had images referencing the masculine. So it seems animus is truly “key” for me right now. Image: Mural in Art Alley, Lompoc, CA, by Roswila]



October 30, 2009


IN THE HOUSE OF THE MASCULINE

I drum on the steps
hoping to be invited in
conference center
will they take me at all
seriously as a drummer

a handsome young man
sits just inside the doorway
he’s punk glam and dark

this drummer in a
band and I start competing
joy and doubt mingle

I drum above his
flash and dash using reverb
from a hollow step
a male celebrity arrives
followed by his entourage

another male star
modestly helps visitors
why does he work here

[two dream tanka and three dreamku on a dream of 10-28-09; Image by Roswila.



October 31, 2009


meeting the cast
my uncle has played the villain
for fifteen years

[old dreamku on a dream of 5/21/08. Looking for a 'ku I'd not yet posted (haven't had time to write any yet on last night's rather epic dream) I stumbled on this one. At the time I didn't really "get" this little dream, but I think I am ready to hear the message now: it's time to let go of certain aspects of my past, and even more so the consequent blaming of others. Those people have been in the role of villain way too long. :-D Image by Roswila.]

* * * *

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

**** [aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT, and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems ****

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN SEPTEMBER 2009

Sigh. Hard month. Harder than might be indicated by the below posts. (And it’s gotten harder as I’ve moved on into October.) I even double posted two posts, which is extremely unusual. Quite honestly, I’m not even sure I double posted to this blog, or just messed up on my record keeping in my WordPerfect file from which I build this monthly full post.

Finding I’d probably double posted and not caught it did not make me a happy camper, given the increasing frequency of senior moments. I suppose I should really start to worry if I don’t realize I’ve forgotten something. Now isn’t that an absurd statement – if I don’t realize I’ve forgotten, I won’t care at all! Yes, not very sound reasoning, is it. But any little laugh in a storm....

Maybe it’s part of getting even older, all this extra anxiety I’ve been living with. I hope I’ll learn to bear whatever the various components are to my difficult inner life with better grace as I go along. Just as I am struggling to handle all the physical issues.

This dreamku series from the month:

UNDERGROUND HAVEN

what he just did
earns him ardent enemies
dark flying fairy

using his control
of trees the fairy sinks them
he flies down the last

underground haven
the trees’ denizens put on
a grand festival

all trees rise at last
unharmed and lush as ever
costumes peek through leaves

branches bear fey folk
stories abound of how each
spent festival time

have the dark fairy’s
enemies given up
the sky seems clear

... struck me when I dreamed/wrote it as rather pointed. And still does, especially in retrospect. Won’t go on at length about it, except to note that the “enemies” have most definitely not given up. Where’s one’s magickal powers when one needs them, anyway?

Hope your month was peaceful and, if not, at least productive and rewarding.

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA, AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN SEPTEMBER 2009

[PLEASE NOTE that in most browsers you can click on the image for a larger version.]



OLD CLOTHES

she instructs me
to stow all the old clothes
I can’t find room

I wander seeking
a place to throw them out
stores and parking lot

anxiety
I carefully weave a lie
should she want them back

[dreamku series on a dream of 8/31/09; Image: "Shopping Day" by Roswila]



September 2, 2009


after much prep she
still lets herself get all wet
we proceed anyway

[dreamku on a dream of 7-30-09; Image: "Shell Fish" by Roswila]



September 3, 2009


she offers me
her arms in comfort,
this Tender Taynor*

her embrace
does not take in my beliefs
what to think of this

*her name in the dream
[dreamku pair written today on an old dream of 5/25/09 with current relevance; Image by Roswila]



September 4, 2009


dream performance
at last we sing All That Jazz
in perfect synch

[dreamku on a dream of 8/23/09; Image by Roswila]



September 5, 2009


I enjoy playing
the stranger's didjeridu
are they impressed

coda the didj sprouts a bird feeder

[dreamku and mono-dreamku on a dream of 9-4-09; Image by Roswila]



September 6, 2009


she gives me a lap rug
to cover my freezing legs
sudden chill

outside the car
she puts on warm clothing
quick change artist

[dreamku pair on a dream of 9-5-09; Image by Roswila]



September 7, 2009


it's expected I'll
care for her again as she dies
second passing

[dreamku on an old dream of 3-6-08, with current relevance; Image by Roswila]



September 8, 2009


IT’S MY BUSINESS

of three connections
one is made and quite secure
work is now begun
on the business root to
accommodate other roots

it’s expansion not merging relief

[dream tanka and mono-dreamku on a dream of 9-5-09; Image by Roswila]



September 9, 2009


WHAT’S THE BUZZ

there’s a bed in her room
I take back the big soft couch
I’d loaned her

then I see she has
a roommate using that bed
I offer my couch again

she’s more focused
on her father’s arrival
end of estrangement

tough army man
his disbelief he’d actually
treated himself well

I share how I sometimes
do the same thing when depressed
his dark buzz cut

[dreamku series on a dream of 9-08-09; Image by Roswila]



September 10, 2009


WHAT A PAIR

beaded and quite long
her two new pair of earrings
brief envy

“Which to wear?” she asks
I suggest “The pair with orange
beads that match your blouse...

watch they don’t catch in your armpits” quick laughter

[two dreamku and a mono-dreamku on a dream of 9-09-09; Image by Roswila]



September 11, 2009


NO BABY SITTER

no baby sitter
they put their young son in
a huge outdoor pen

he scrambles through brush
looking for a way out
sunset in the woods

his mother notes
he’s nothing for warmth or play
she’ll get a blanket

[dreamku series on a dream of 9-9-09. On first recalling this dream I leaned briefly toward a negative take – neglect, fear of abandonment, and such. But as I wrote the series I realized it’s actually very positive (though not totally devoid of some anxiety). My new life here – so intimately involved with nature, especially via all the photos I’m taking – is like one huge play pen for me! I also suspect some childhood memories are being triggered. This same night I had a dream about Florida where I was born, lived until I was five, and visited many times over the years. I sometimes have flashes of Florida when I see a palm trees against the sky here (of course, with no mountains around. :-D) Image by Roswila]



September 12, 2009


A QUESTION OF PLACE

her roadside bed
under a country night sky
exposed and nervous

the wood frame house
just behind her beckons
opening her dream eyes
she can’t tell where she is
then sees her familiar room

[dreamku & dream tanka on a dream of 8/3/09; Image by Roswila (one of my first attempts at night shots, so please be kind, :-D)]



September 13, 2009


WHERE’S THE DOOR

we climb the three flights
to my hidden apartment
where’s the door

“Press the carpeted
wall right there,” a neighbor says
it springs open

my friend and I enter
the neighbor outside
hook latches the door

[dreamku series on a dream of 9-12-09; Image: “Light at the End of the Tunnel” by Roswila]



September 14, 2009

{SEE SEPTEMBER 22, 2009; I inadvertently double-posted the dreamku series and photo]



September 15, 2009


UNDERGROUND HAVEN

what he just did
earns him ardent enemies
dark flying fairy

using his control
of trees the fairy sinks them
he flies down the last

underground haven
the trees’ denizens put on
a grand festival

all trees rise at last
unharmed and lush as ever
costumes peek through leaves

branches bear fey folk
stories abound of how each
spent festival time

have the dark fairy’s
enemies given up
the sky seems clear

[dreamku series on a dream of 9-14-09; Image: “Garden Fairies” by Roswila]



September 16, 2009


BODY OF DARKNESS

his job is to find
souls for empty bodies
nomads of the night

I’ve just given up
my own day body
long fruitless struggle

I say I’ll enter
a body of darkness
servant to the night

[dreamku series on a dream of 9-15-09; Image by Roswila]



September 17, 2009


GATHERING MY NEED

family gathering my need to give them what they want

I reach into my purse
and take out bags of chips
for each of them

chips for myself
crowd the bottom of the purse
I wander laughing:

“Just as well I’m not rich.
I’d be spending it all
on you.”

[mono-dreamku and three dreamku on a dream of 9-15-09; “Chips” in the dream were potato chips – one of my favorite binge foods, but as I worked with the dream it became clear they also represent computer chips, and gambling chips as a form of money. This dream makes me think of the Four of Pentacles in The Tarot, in which the character is hoarding out of a fear of poverty and has me looking at issues such as what does it mean to be generous without fear. Also, given this is a dream populated with family – from whom I am estranged – I’ve begun examining how I hoard my hurt and angry feelings at them, which ultimately only hurts me just like my food binging does. There’s also a feeling I get at the end of some thinking I’ve touched on many times before and tend to forget: much of my “generosity” is simply a plea to be accepted, to be part of things. Image by Roswila]



September 18, 2009


SHE SHOWS ME

my deceased friend
is slim and dressed to the nines
aqua platform shoes

she shows me that
the shoes are cushioned inside
my surprise

she gladly hurries
to get advice from a new friend
I deny this matters

[dreamku series on a dream of 8-14-09; Image by Roswila]



September 19, 2009


under my hat
the directions I've knotted
into my hair

[dreamku on an old dream of 3-24-08 with some current relevance; Image by Roswila]



September 20, 2009


DONKEYS THREE

the middle one’s the shortest three donkeys

each carries a heavy load time to lighten up

he puts the saddle
from one on the short donkey
the sides hit the ground

between the saddle seat
and the small one’s back
nothing but air

[two mono-dreamku and two deamku on a dream of 9-19-09; Don’t ask me! I haven’t the foggiest! :-D Though I'd hazard a guess that a place to start would be about getting something off my back, wanting space ... also some sense I'm not alone in feeling like this in life. Oy! Now I just had the thought maybe the dream's ultimate image says that the burden is all in how I think (air) of it. So if I take it all more lightly, it will be so. Image by Roswila]



September 21, 2009


ANOTHER GARDEN PATH

cool air
on my exposed breast
solitary night

a new man’s touch
I should cover up but want
to trust his desire

a pile of typing
arrives from the new man
do I have time

am I being led
down another garden path
hope stumbles

[dreamku series on a dream of 8/28/09; Image by Roswila]



September 22, 2009


HANGING AROUND

his assumptions
I finally convince him
of my ignorance

though not anxious to
learn his way I go along
hotel room

as I chew more gum
I look for what I owe him
bed rest

another man starts
to make up the double bed
white sheets trap me

I laugh and get out
I’m hanging around too long
as always, I say

[dreamku series on a dream of 8-24-09; Image by Roswila]



September 23, 2009


SURVIVING WINTER

our huge herd of sheep
leaves its ewes and nursing lambs
in a green valley
snowed in snugly for a long
and very harsh winter

the rams and older
lambs can’t stay as there’s barely
enough soup and grass
for the nursing ewes and they
feed the herd’s future

as a ewe I must stay
but fear I’ll die of boredom
the call of challenge
I’d rather be hungry with
the rams and grown lambs

but grateful for thin soup
I manage to make new photos
science fiction themes

the rams return
at the harsh winter’s end
our herd is intact

plans to travel to the stars gossip swells

[3 dream tanka, 2 dreamku, and 1 monoku on a dream of 9-22-09; Image by Roswila]



September 24, 2009


NOT GOOD FOR ME

my father offers me
a lot of sticky sweet treats
he can’t eat them

I know he knows
they’re not good for me either
irritating offer

I say no thank you judgment fades

[two dreamku and a mono-dreamku on a dream of 9-24-09; Image by Roswila]



September 25, 2009


POLE DANCING

she pole dances
in spite of her overweight
black and white check blouse

the man snidely says
her weight’s a huge eyesore
not to mention
an even bigger health risk
and what of those who love her

she rounds on him
who doesn’t take risks with
their health – smoking, drinking,
eating the wrong foods, working
too much, not loving enough ...

she won’t stop dancing the firm bright backbone of the pole

[a dreamku, 2 dream tanka, and a monoku on a dream of 9-24-09; Image by Roswila]



September 26, 2009


ON SKIDS AND FRICTION

his concern about
skidding on icy streets
gas station stop

two lines to choose from
he picks the one on the right
no installation

no chains or rock salt
this device will signal from
within the car’s trunk

they lay friction strips
in the trunk of the car in front
what use are they

[dreamku series on a dream of 9-22-09; Image by Roswila]



September 27, 2009


SPACER

the story we write
is accepted for filming
space travel saga

I clarify one point:
the young hero used the strength
of his mind alone
to traverse the stars, only
nearing Earth did he need a ship

they don’t know this is not a story memory

[a dreamku, dream tanka, and monoku on a dream of 9-22-09; Image by Roswila]



September 28, 2009

[SEE SEPTEMBER 30, I inadvertently double-posted the dreamku series and photo.]


September 29, 2009


FOREST FESTIVAL

forest festival
life-size carvings of cowboys
and grizzly bears

festival workers
start to pose for pictures
I’m not enticed

on a roof top
a golden wood Ganesh*
I grab my camera

in my view screen
a different Ganesh
I change my stance

to my surprise
a third Ganesh appears
I move again

magickal statue which angle holds that first delight

[dreamku series capped by a mono-dreamku on a dream of 9-29-09; *Ganesh is the elephant-headed Hindu god, one of my personal favorites of all world Deities (see prayer to Him in right-hand column of this page). My initial take on this dream is that at some essential level (wood in dreams has been said to represent one’s essential nature) I’m becoming more and more aware of the on-going transience of things – of literally each and every moment – and wrestling with that. That it’s Ganesh who shows me this in the dream is rather wonderful. I have a deep long-standing trust in what He represents, so it’s as if the dream is saying to trust each moment as it rises in its uniqueness. Also that a moment cannot be truly captured (the camera), only experienced.

Image by Roswila – I see a trumpeting elephant in this photo and hope to re-take it in better light some day. And, yes, I hear myself trying to capture a moment. :-D]




September 30, 2009



WHAT DO I WANT

we’re each taken
yet he comes on to me
late night dinner

his innocent aspect’s
charming and plausible
what do I want

[dream pair on a dream of 9-27-09; Image by Roswila]

* * * *

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

**** [aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT, and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems ****

IN MEMORY OF 9/11

Image: "Candle in the Wind" by Roswila." I was living in New York city at the time of the Twin Towers disaster. My prayers as always are with the families and friends of those who died that day. 9/11 stands for me as a reminder of the fraigility of life and to cherish each moment.

IN LOMPOC VALLEY (a haibun) by Patricia Kelly

IN LOMPOC VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

As he drives we glory in the panoramic beauty of each new view. We approach another deep curve and he comments that we'll soon see where a wild fire raged two or three years ago:

slow turning
mountains
with five o'clock shadow


* * * * * * * *

[Haibun -- in the Japanese tradition, poetic prose topped by a haiku. The photo was taken during a different ride on the way down from Painted Cave which is closer to Santa Barbara, but looks like what we saw in Lompoc Valley.]

© photo and haibun by Patricia Kelly, 2009

* * * *

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

**** [aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT, and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems ****

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA, AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN AUGUST 2009

I’m finding that posting a picture each day makes commenting on the full month of posts even more of a challenge. As I’ve said previously, I don’t chose the pictures necessarily to illustrate the ‘ku but only to pick up on some minor even very slant aspect of the writing for that day. (Somewhat like the tradition of Japanese haiga – haiku on paintings.) Which means for me a picture also carries feelings/meanings different from the accompanying ‘ku. Add to that, I don’t actually see the photos here as I’m working on the full month’s post, only the coding for each one as posted earlier to blogger. And where I don’t readily recall the photo I chose, I feel challenged to remember it. (Yes, I’m very memory challenged these days. :-D)

Overall I’d say this sample dreamku series below covers the month and many other months; but especially this one. I’ve been getting more depressed than I have been in well over 20 years and feel my ability to understand myself or anyone else is incredibly limited at present:

BABEL DANCING

none of us speaks
the others’ language
dance on the green

a woman carries
a weighty soft round purse
we dance together

she speaks
a wee bit of English
cautious connection

However, I really like the positive hint in that last line.

As I mention in a previous post the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival is now being celebrated and my hope is that His kind and lovingly powerful presence is a positive influence in all our lives.

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA, AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN AUGUST 2009

[PLEASE NOTE that in most browsers you can click on the image for a larger version.]


August 1, 2009



THE CROWD WAITS

the crowd waits for
the lunch he promised us
obese philanthropist

clairvoyance shows me
he’s recovering in bed
belly liposuction

word comes to order
pizzas and charge them to him
relief and concern

I “see” him again
hefting his empty belly folds
pain and annoyance

[dreamku series on a dream of 7-31-09; Image by Roswila]



August 2, 2009



A CHANGE AT THE TOP

there’s been
a huge change at the top
what card reveals this?

“The Wheel of Fortune”
at least we agree
on this

he proclaims Set
as the ruling deity
I prefer Jupiter

lengthy discourse
I want joviality but
there’s no switch in ruler

there’s been
a huge change at the top
no denial

* NOTE: Set is the Egyptian jackal-headed god of desert, storms, dark, and necessary chaos. Jupiter (Jove) is the Roman god of sky and thunder, and rules over law and social order. I have personal associations (won’t bore you with all the reasons for these :-D) to Set of intellect and arrogance, and to Jupiter of merriment and over-indulgence. FYI, Jupiter, the planet, is usually said to “rule” The Wheel of Fortune card in the Tarot, which card can represent big change(s).

[dreamku series on a dream of 7-31-09; Image “The Wheel of Fortune” in The Found Tarot being designed by Roswila]



August 3, 2009



BABEL DANCING

none of us speaks
the others’ language
dance on the green

a woman carries
a weighty soft round purse
we dance together

she speaks
a wee bit of English
cautious connection

[dreamku series on a dream of 8-1-09; Image by Roswila]



August 4, 2009



my friend of years past
says we must leave right away
I take my time

[dreamku on an old dream of 4/25/08 with some current relevance; Image by Roswila]



August 5, 2009



three new born babies
dreams, hope, and enlightenment
heavy weights


[dreamku on a dream of 8/3/09; Image by Roswila]



August 6, 2009



I comment only
on her obvious success
ten foot pole

[dreamku on an old dream/ku with current relevance, from 12-07-07; Image by Roswila]



August 7, 2009



am I wanted
I horn into the car’s
black leather front seat

[dreamku on an old dream of 12-6-07 with current relevance; Image by Roswila]



August 8, 2009



a stretch to grasp
the long thick web-like strands
stick to my hands

[dreamku on a dream of 8-7-09; Image: "Shadow Screen Play" by Roswila]



August 9, 2009


ON THE HOOD

the older woman
lies on the hood of his car
healing relative

reaching out from below
the windscreen I touch her
“how are you doing”

she answers “quite well
and so’s my distant cousin”
we drive on relieved

[dreamku on a dream of 8-7-09; Image: "After Salvador Dali" by Roswila]



August 10, 2009



BOLDLY

he uses his psychic
powers to seduce her
she catches on

he needn't have
she embraces him boldly
and nibbles his neck

[dreamku on a dream of 8-3-09; Image by Roswila]



August 11, 2009


WHO’S IN CHARGE

the baby sitter
leaves me carrying her charge
swaddled woman

where do you live
I’ll cab you there I say
bribe for honesty

she lives on Ocean
at Channel Thirteen he says
she nods agreement

we three reminisce
on the starlit street corner
strange trio

[dreamku on a dream of 8-10-09; Image by Roswila]




August 12, 2009



TRINKETS

round table dinner
I cannot bear the noise
and confusion

in my rush to leave
I desert all my stuff
she follows with hers

shoe box of trinkets
she tries to charm me to stay
with a display

blue iridescent beads
catch the artificial light
I won’t change my mind

[dreamku on a dream of 8-11-09; Image by Roswila]



August 13, 2009


JUST WHAT I HAVE

waking up I can’t see
even as my eyes adjust
stumbling through the dark
toward my usual snack
I hear breathing to my left

hunger and fear
mix in my stomach as I
flinch away quickly
I’m handed two pizza slices
but can’t see from whom

a fleeting light touch
from my deceased stepmother
welcome visit

my breath held along
with the small pizza slices
silence and I’m alone
with enough sight now to see
that I need just what I have

[three dream tanka and one dreamku on a dream of 8-12-09; Image: "Remembering Pizza" by Roswila]



August 14, 2009


what's the stink
rotten food in the fridge
or is it me

[dreamku on a dream of 8-10-09; Image by Roswila]



August 15, 2009


opening each of
the letters from charities
asking for my money
out fall gold spoons and dimes
I hoard them all

[dream tanka on a dream of 8-14-09; Image: "The Accidental Pointillist" by Roswila]



August 16, 2009


NOT SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED

open hotel suite
James Bond dislikes me
because of my weight

I shrug it off
his shallowness hurts
only him

[dreamku pair on a dream of 7-25-09; Image by Roswila]



August 17, 2009


SHE SHOWS ME

my deceased friend
is slim and dressed to the nines
aqua platform shoes

she shows me that
the shoes are cushioned inside
my surprise

she gladly hurries
to get advice from a new friend
I deny this matters

[dreamku series on a dream of 8-14-09; Image by Roswila]



August 18, 2009


PANORAMA

the handsome racist
squeezes out the train window
panoramic butt

two men remain
one apparently forthright
the other a masher

speeding train a bullet through the night


[dreamku series (last one a monoku) on a dream of 8/17/09; Image by Roswila]



August 19, 2009


street life
she hauls a huge mattress
from the garbage truck

[dreamku on an old dream of 2-26-08, with some current relevance emotionally; Image by Roswila]



August 20, 2009


DRAMA IN THE ROUND

Dad’s in a group
forming the cast for a show
theatre in the round

the program cites
Logos, a play to be read
will there be singing

I wistfully wish
to duet with my father
childhood tradition

Dad starts reciting
his lines from the play Logos
the cast wears togas

cast and audience mingle dramatic reading

[dreamku series (the last a monoku) on a dream of 8/19/09; Image: "Garden Stew" by Roswila]



August 21, 2009


my handicapped friend
blocks traffic to bust chops
wicked sense of humor

[dreamku on a dream of 8/20/09; Image by Roswila]



August 22, 2009


FINDING OUT

"I love you" he wrote
"Don’t leave me this way" he wrote
why should I believe him

"He’s no better
than I am" he wrote
how can he know

my new guy says
"Sex? or am I going to sleep?"
I kiss his belly

is he no real change
from my old lover
I’ll soon find out

[dreamku series on a dream of 8-21-09; Image by Roswila]



August 23, 2009


the infant sticks his
pudgy fingers in my mouth
giggles all around

[dreamku on a dream of 8-22-09; Image by Roswila]



August 24, 2009


we escape from
the gladiator arena
he jumps for joy

[dreamku on an old dream of 10-31-08 with current relevance; Image: "Making Good the Escape" by Roswila]



August 25, 2009



around her full lips
the silver dust of
sexual hunger

he blows it off stone wall

[dreamku and monoku on a dream of 8-24-09; Image by Roswila]



August 26, 2009


IT’S ALL RIGHT WITH ME

dark haired and slim
I approach the microphone
open air theatre

singing in a deep
throaty voice as I’d rehearsed
50's torch song

“It’s the wrong time
and the wrong place, though your face
is charming it’s the wrong face.
It’s not his face but such a
charming face....”

relieved of high notes,
the low notes silky and warm
“....that it’s all right with me”

[dreamku series with song lyrics by Cole Porter, from a dream of 8/24/09 (I was “actually” singing as described in the above); Image by Roswila]



August 27, 2009


IN THE GAP

the floor’s fallen
further away from the baseboard
bathroom gap

something’s in there
is it a rat skittering
into the shadows

I yell for help
it’s an aqua mole-like blob
with a dark nose

get rid of it
I cannot bear the thought
of squashing it

spraying and spraying
with insecticide
all I can think of

wet aqua fur
weighs it down
is it inhaling

then I see it’s fluffy dry and spry odd relief

[dreamku series, ending with a monoku, on a dream of 8-26-09; Image by Roswila]



August 28, 2009


why've I not noticed
her gorgeous dark eyes before
difficult friend

[dreamku on a dream of 8-10-09; Image by Roswila]



August 29, 2009


he tells me twice the
seed ball isn’t ripe enough
I pluck it anyway

regret sets in
how can I hide
the wilting evidence

[dreamku pair on a dream of 8-28-09; Image by Roswila]



August 30, 2009


improv workshop
I gambol passingly well
as a young Great Dane

[dreamku on a dream of 8-28-09; entering this 'ku I made the typo "improve" instead of "improv" in the first line and that opened the whole dream for me, LOL!; Image: "Which Way Did You Say?" by Roswila]



August 31, 2009


WHERE ARE WE GOING?

we’re way too tired
he says we can catch the train
tomorrow night

I’m relieved enough
to give in to an embrace
he angles for sex

my body responds thought rescues my celibate resolve

[dreamku series (the last a monoku) on a dream of 8/19/09; Image by Roswila]

* * * * * * * *

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

**** [aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT, and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems ****

GANESH CHATURTHI FESTIVAL

[Ganesh as The High Priest, in The Secret Dakini Oracle;this particular picture chosen because I've become determined to capture a beautiful spiderweb in a photo -- quite a challenge for this digital photographer newbie!]

Ganesh Chaturthi, a week long Festival celebrating Ganesh's birth, started a couple of days ago. In the rather fuzzy-headed state I'm in these days, I forgot to check in time for the start date so I can celebrate as I do each year. But I'm on board now, through September 3rd which is the last day.

Here's a link to a post I made as I prepared to make the move to California, that is as relevant today as it was then. If you are not familiar with Ganesh, to more thoroughly understand the imagery of the poem be sure to read the explanation of the origins of Ganesh's elephant head that I share below the poem.

PRAYING TO LOSE MY HEAD

I'd forgotten what I say after the above poem at the end of the post, about rediscovering a forgotten self once I move to California. And that has turned out to be completely true. (Unfortunately, recently I've also rediscovered my tendency to deep depression. Sigh. It will pass.)

May we always be open to and aware of the blessings we find on our paths in this life.

* * * *

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

**** [aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT, and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems ****