ALL DAILY DREAMKU, TANKA & DIGITAL PHOTOS POSTED IN SEPTEMBER 2010 (by Roswila)

I’ve been so preoccupied with my miserable mood swings I completely forgot to observe Ganesh Chaturthi. It’s a week long worshipful celebration of the “birthday” of my favorite Deity, Ganesh – the Remover of Obstacles – that’s always in early September. (The right side of this blog has a prayer I wrote to Him many years ago.) I’m posting this picture in very belated celebration:


And with respect to my moods I’ll simply say that maybe I will have to accept I might not ever feel like my normal self again. But grow to accept -- to use the popular expression -- a “new normal.”

ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA, AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN SEPTEMBER 2010

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

September 1, 2010


SOLDIERING ON

the burly marine’s
young and not verbal at all
examining room

the doctor and nurse
glance at each other puzzled
how should they proceed

torrential talking
erupts from the young soldier
he backs up disturbed

the accent and tone
of his endless words don’t fit
his dour demeanor
“I’m doing it again,”
he says, hunching his shoulders

“Picking up the thoughts
in someone else’s mind and
having to speak them...”
his defeated posture
proclaims his lonesome war

[three dreamku and two tanka on a dream of 8-31-10. Image by Roswila]



September 2, 2010


THE UNKNOWN GIFT

my new young suitor
gives me an embroidered pillow
square and not too thick
its varied scenarios
intrigue and delight me

at first I think that
British mythology romps
in the bright stitches
but, no, my suitor and I
will need to do some research
to discover its stories

that corner’s Native American I say ... maybe

[two tanka and a monoku on a dream of 9-1-10. Image: "Prayerful" by Roswila]



September 3, 2010


ACCOMMODATIONS

a third roommate’s
moving in to take the place
of the one we lost
her electronic baggage
fills a living room corner

it’s all the latest
bells, whistles, and some gewgaws
in a huge tumble
the wiring spreads way out
like a dense spider web

we rearrange and
re-wire the entire apartment
to accommodate
each of our differing needs
as we do with each new roommate

[tanka series on a dream of 9-1-10. Image by Roswila]



September 4, 2010


faced with another
small window to clamber through
bloody annoying

I take the long way instead the past rolls past

[a dreamku and a monoku on a dream of 9-2-10. Image by Roswila]



September 5, 2010


MOUTHING OFF

the trap-like mechanism
consistently defeats
each challenger
its wiry metallic
mouth-like body swallows them

over and over
it proves its ascendancy –
grumbling in the ranks

at last it stumbles
but pulls victory from
the jaws of defeat
it broadcasts an announcement
surprising all receivers:

“Once he’s fully healed
the head of ABC News
will be the winner”
the trap-mouth had held out for
a superior man

[three tanka and a dreamku on a dream of 9-3-10. Image by Roswila]



September 6, 2010


AT A CROSSING

others do something
that hugely inflates her size
blonde young woman

long past fitting on
the train she stands in the river
expansion bridge

in her light grip
a car is like a child’s toy
she opens her hand
the car slides into the river
she puzzles as it goes under

she tilts one train car
people the size of roaches
rain darkly down
she tilts every train car
the water dimples and spurts

the streams of people
feed her hungry artist’s eye:
dark-side waterfalls

[three dreamku and two tanka on a dream of 9-5-10. Image by Roswila]



September 7, 2010


the unknown woman
shoves me backward into my
former old friend’s lap
I do not want this at all
and hastily disengage

they’re amused I find it too familiar

[tanka on a dream of 9-6-10. Image by Roswila]



September 8, 2010


ANOTHER FAILED WEDDING

embroidered organza
floor length and elegant
her wedding gown

pre-ceremony
she wanders the wedding
reception hall
they’re to eat before the “I do’s”
so she gets in line

her gorgeous gown’s
no longer white organdy
but aqua polyester
in fact no gown at all
but just one of her dresses

and her wallet’s gone
did she leave it unattended
and if so where
she retraces her steps
but to no avail

she sits defeated
picking peanut M&M’s
out of other candies
she’s relieved to find them
these comforting favorites

[tanka series on a dream of 9-4-10. Image by Roswila.]



September 9, 2010


ALL THIS MOURNING

night on the highway
where’s all this mourning going
in such a hurry

she speeds away and
nearly collides with her dad
SUV tangle

another father
heads in the other direction
from his daughter’s flight
the dark can not hide
all this painful denial

[two dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 9-8-10. Image by Roswila]



September 10, 2010


WISHFUL

I

she’s only sent him
away to summer camp
the young boy we raised


II

she gets off the train
and looks for 10th Street signs
she hopes against hope
there won’t be any in this
poorly illumined station

[a dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 9-10-11. Image by Roswila]



September 11, 2010


IN MEMORY OF ALL WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

And with a deep hope that the controversies over the Islamic center near "Ground Zero" and the Koran burning threat, settle peacefully. If nothing else, 9/11 demonstrates that violence does not lead to peace, but only to increased misunderstanding and violence.

Personally, I still find it difficult to fully encompass 9/11. Sometimes I catch a whiff in the air that reminds me instantly of the grayish-yellow haze that hung over the city afterwards. When ashes fall from wildfires here in Goleta, CA they precipitate feelings and memories of 9/11. But I was fortunate, being only inconvenienced that day and winding up out of work for well over a year. I did not lose anyone I knew. [No dreamku today. Image by Roswila]

September 12, 2010


her long-time good friend
William Shatner and she
loll around in bed
she discovers, yet again,
that he’s really a woman

[tanka on a dream of 9-9-10. Image: Digital photo of an at least 30 year old poster of Captain Kirk (on the left) and Mr. Spock, it's right over my T.V.]



September 13, 2010


BION BUENO

three nerdy-punk
teen-age guys run amok
they won’t cooperate
we need their knowledge and help
with a threatening problem

again and again
I try to enlist their aid
hoping to calm them
with sensible reasoning
and dogged persistence

do I get through to
the darkest wildest one
on asking all three
if they realize that they
are all “bion bueno”

[tanka series on a dream of 9-8-10. Image by Roswila]



September 14, 2010


INTER-VIEW

pre-wedding interview
the young groom’s right eye’s only
partially bandaged

he’s vision enough
to answer the question
“How’d you live til now?”

“Person to person” his soft
mildy embarrassed response;
his elderly groom
stands by smiling quietly
radiating excitement

[two dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 9-13-10. Image by Roswila]



September 15, 2010


a blonde teenage girl
models her pink new sweater
mohair and puffed sleeves

she blushes “I almost flashed the Prime Minister”

[dreamku and monoku on a dream of 9-13-10. Imagine my surprise when first thing on turning on my T.V. that morning, I saw this same former Prime Minister – Tony Blair of England. :-) Image by Roswila]



September 16, 2010


strangers...ah!
new genes
for the old pool

[old dreamku on a dream of 5-30-06. Image by Roswila, looking toward our pool.]



September 17, 2010



same old scenario
running very late for work
she calls in sick instead

and who’s the strange man
disturbing her quiet home
why can’t she find peace

[dreamku pair on a dream of 9-16-10. Image by Roswila]



September 17, 2010


NOT KNOWING AGAIN

choosing one word for
each letter, starting with “a”
alphabetical

a picture rises
for each word as chosen
“b” gets bumbled
“c” is for calyx
is it part of a flower
or a math term

“d”s for disheveled
not as delightful a word
as lovely calyx

erythematosus
is picked for “e”
fancy for bruise-like

after choosing fecund
for “f” I go back to calyx
enjoying the sounds
as it rolls off my tongue
I play with not knowing


[dreamku series and one tanka on a dream of 9-17-10. Image by Roswila]



September 19, 2010



the woman doctor’s
aspect and appearance
friendly welcoming
I may like her but will I
try what she advises

past failures loom
I walk away wishing only
to be truly seen

[dream tanka on a dream of 9-18-10. Image by Roswila]



September 20, 2010


ON LONG DISTANCES

the tree-lined roadside
they drop her off just minutes
before the bus is due
then start an impromptu
birthday party for her

how will she ever
make it to the bus stop that’s
still two blocks away
and why their silly party
they don’t really care for her

does she miss the bus
no, that was the local one
the party goes on
she limps toward the bus stop
hoping it will wait for her

a long block away
she sees the bus pull up
though the light changes
it sits a bit longer
but she can’t move any faster

the bus pulls out
the next isn’t due for hours
the stop, miles away

[tanka series and a dreamku on a dream of 9-19-10. Image by Roswila]



September 21, 2010


CHOICES

the apple orchard
gleams with shiny apples
I’ve done this before

sorted through bushels
for unblemished red ones
my basket filling
with their sweet sight and mouth
watering aroma

he thinks I’ll recall
exactly how to do this
this old taskmaster

I just want to take
my time, to follow my nose,
to revel in
each apple’s perfection
whether green or not, or bruised

[two dreamku and two tanka on a dream of 9-20-10. Image by Roswila]



September 22, 2010


the soft green hills bear
white flocks of stampeding sheep
a young girl’s trampled

we plan her burial
also, how best to keep that
man from going under

[dreamku pair on a dream of 9-20-10. Image by Roswila]



September 23, 2010


CAREENING

the helicopter
careens crazily through the sky
the pilot driven
out of his mind by his grief
creates a looping death dance

his passengers dare
not shoot him to gain control
what if he’s wearing
an intricate nano-bomb,
that would be an end to all

the grieving pilot
wrestles the helicopter
to above littered
suburban roof tops, licks each
quickly, then flies up again

everyone on board’s
nauseous with relief and fear
or maybe with thoughts
of what he’s just ingested
licking all those roof tops

[tanka series on a dream of 9-21-10. Image: "Neverland Lost" by Roswila]



September 24, 2010


THE SECOND GIFT*

the dark folder’s filled
with old black and white photos
quickly fanning through

is that Dad’s young face
my gosh! and there’s Mama
dark haired and youthful

holding all these
photos I’ve not seen before
gives me much joy
I start searching through them for
the face of the sender

here, there, her smiling
face looks at the camera
an unknown cousin
blonde, slim, in her twenties;
I seek photos of her home

peaceful and serene
small town life surrounds her
like a fantasy
through mixed doubt and envy I
search for her name and address

no clues in the photos
of how to contact her or
even what’s her name
I return to enjoying
the pictures of my childhood

each photo bears a
fresh look at familiar loved ones
delight on delight
especially with each sighting
of Mama’s long lost face

* This dream/ku is actually the second half of a longer dream, which is why the title. I’ll probably post the first half tomorrow.

[two dreamku and a tanka series on a dream of 9-23-10. Image by Roswila]



September 25, 2010


THE FIRST GIFT*

someone’s created
moving versions of my photos
I watch them fly by
a magical video
of various seascapes

all are of boat wakes
rolling off into the past
my gentle surprise
that they are all so alike
and limited in scope

lightly mesmerized
I become aware of what’s
in my surroundings
something sheltering and dark
maybe warm wooden walls

focus finally
settled on this wooden cave
at the endless sea’s edge
I sense it’s parameters
through my shoulders and heart

this cave is warm and welcoming stillness

*The second half of this dream I posted yesterday, therefore the above title.

[tanka series capped by a monoku on a dream of 9-23-10. Image by Roswila]



September 26, 2010


the rope-like scar
down the middle of her breast
one twist too many

[old dreamku on a dream of 6-14-06. Image by Roswila]



September 27, 2010


MEET THE TRICKSTER

a fat and happy
William Shatner pops up
in this liminal
dream space each time I start to
wake or slip back to sleep

he makes it clear he’ll
cover his taxi cab fare since
I want him to stop
making these appearances
but I’ll have to catch him first

[tanka pair on a dream of 9-26-10. Image: a possible "Fool" card in my Found Tarot deck, the Tarot deck's Fool is sometimes seen as a trickster figure; by Roswila]



September 28, 2010


she hides in the belly
of the large clay Goddess
she won't be had

[old dreamku on an old dream of 5-9-06. Image: "Earth Goddess," by Roswila]



September 29, 2010


the souls of dead mice
till the dark earth
what will grow here?

[old dreamku on an old dream of 5-3-06. Image by Roswila]



September 30, 2010


she finds the hurt boy
beneath a sheltering tree
deep haven

[an old dreamku on an old dream of 6-22-06. I've not posted this new photo before -- 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 ****