ALL DAILY DREAMKU, TANKA, MONOKU & PIX POSTED IN JULY 2011 by Roswilla
Well, I made it through my photography exhibit on July 24th. Though it was truly touch and go up until days before as to whether I'd actually go through with it. However, the two and a half months of preparation did pay off. In all ways. Beyond having the opportunity to share so many of my pix, I loved the conversations with fellow residents of the retirement community I live in. And I sold enough prints to not only fully cover my (considerable) expenses, but to pay a couple pressing bills. Ultimately, though, it was the sharing that meant and still means most to me.
This dreamku series from July 11th pretty much expresses most of July for me, a rather odd time but somehow OK:
LONG STRANGE TRIP
the aliens’ eyes
shine a gelid pale gold
their limbs, pseudopods
why did my family
trick me onto this spaceship
with cavernous halls
and why this email from Mother
that there’s nothing wrong at all
Though I hasten to say I tend to identify more with those aliens than with fellow humans. :-D
ALL DAILY DREAMKU, DREAM TANKA, AND PHOTOS BY ROSWILA POSTED IN JULY 2011
[PLEASE NOTE that in most browsers you can click on the image for a larger version.]
July 1, 2011
ON LEAVING
has she graduated?
will she leave this college town
with all the other grads?
I go to ask her
in her room by the water
her answers to both “no”
but I stay anxious – there’s still
that old distance between us
she leaves me in her
room for a ride in her small
brightly painted boat
I fuss with my hair and make-up
for my long walk home
I give up on my hair
and squash a green straw fedora
over my now blue locks
she comes back in looking puzzled
that I’m still in her space
my explanation
as obvious as it is awkward
I’m not ready yet
[a dreamku, three tanka, and a dreamku on a dream of 6-30-11. Image "The Fog Lifts" by Roswila]
July 2, 2011
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
[re-posting; three dream tanka and one dreamku on a dream of 8-12-09. No dream recall, so I looked through old dreamku to find a relevant one. Image by Roswila]
July 3, 2011
EIGHT MILLION STORIES
IN THE NAKED ELEVATOR
his delight’s infectious
(it’s taken only one year
to learn the language!)
her intense worry’s
clear to all who get on and off
(will her lie be outed?)
someone toes a white
sheet of paper on the floor
(there, now those sharp blades
are covered again – out of sight
out of everyone’s mind) ....
[two dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 7-2-11. The title is taken from the closing line to a very old, sort of “film noirish” T.V. crime show, The Naked City. (If I recall correctly: “There are eight million stories in the naked city, this has been one of them.”) Image by Roswila -- a view I see a lot as I wait by the ground floor elevator door]
July 4, 2011
THE FUCHSIA CROW
the enormous crow
perches on a small table
is it a real one:
sleek and long beaked
with a solid fuchsia body,
multi-colored feathers
drape in brilliant abstract shapes
over its head and wing tops
on second look, yes, it’s a living bird my delight
[a dreamku, tanka, and monoku on a dream of 7-3-11. Image “Surprise!” by Roswila]
July 5, 2011
thin magic pillow
earlier it gave us food
we slip batteries
under it for re-charging
and voila! they are
[tanka on a dream of 7-4-11. Image by Roswila; the photo is one of my earliest, from about two years ago when I was just getting hooked on taking pix]
July 6, 2011
HONK! HONK! AND TWO HARD BOILED EGGS
many hard boiled eggs
try out for the new chorus
none are on-pitch
I pitch in for one
cracked egg who’s clearly absent
I’m accepted though
I’d not actually planned to join
with these singing egg heads
they’re all very nice
especially two whom I’ll drive
to a late brunch
they release their foot brakes
not knowing the chance they’re taking
we chatter happily -- I don't know how to drive
[a dreamku, two tanka, and a monoku on a dream of 7-5-11. The title is a line that was used in my family to indicate endless silliness. It’s actually a misquote (though I have no idea if my father knew that) of a Marx Brothers exchange in one of their movies. Image "After the Senior Prom" by Roswila; and I did find this scene the day after a recent "Senior Prom" dance in the retirement community I live in]
July 7, 2011
THE CATCH
OK, here’s the catch:
blue and white crochet patterns
only for infants
[dreamku on a dream fragment of 7-6-11. Image by Roswila]
July 8, 2011
IN SEARCH OF THE AMAZON
where’s my wonderful
stone-finish Amazon figurine
misplaced gift
I get dressed up
to hunt for this classic nude
named “Red Amazon”
I drape a purple paisley scarf
casually around my neck
there she is, Her face
to the wall on a small shelf
Her supporting column
with its decorative vines allows
a glimpse of Her strong back
my young co-worker
though polite could not care less
about my discovery
still I try to encourage her
to go and take a quick look
ah well sometimes even joy can’t be shared
[a dreamku, three tanka, and a monoku on a dream of 7-8-11. Image by Roswila]
July 9, 2011
UNDERFOOT
dreams of steadily
walking, blank square by blank square
what’s right underfoot
gets written down for a second
then it, too, vanishes
[a tanka on a recurrent image throughout the dreams of 7-8-11. Image "Walking on Air" by Roswila]
July 10, 2011
large long-legged spider
why do you keep crawling
onto each blank page,
your black reach itself cursive
what are you trying to say?
I shoo you gently – it’s said that spiders bring luck
[a tanka and a monoku on a dream of 7-10-11. Image “Will You Walk Into My Parlor...?” by Roswila; title is a quote from that famous poem about a spider tempting a fly into its web]
July 11, 2011
CLOSER
a potted plant I wish to
photograph sits too far away
it’s nicely back lit
sunlight frosting its leaves
in patterns I itch to capture
a young fair-haired man,
still grieving his lover’s death,
offers to help me
my own loss still quite fresh
I’m grateful for his thoughtfulness
the sun reflects off
his cap’s colorful lettering
he moves the plant closer
[two tanka and a dreamku on a dream of 7-10-11. Image by Roswila]
July 12, 2011
LONG STRANGE TRIP
the aliens’ eyes
shine a gelid pale gold
their limbs, pseudopods
why did my family
trick me onto this spaceship
with cavernous halls
and why this email from Mother
that there’s nothing wrong at all
[a dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 7-11-11. I dunnoh! I'm just the dreamer. LOL. A line from a song -- “Lately it occurs to me: What a long, strange trip it’s been” came up on recalling this little dream. (The song is “Truckin’” by the Grateful Dead.) So that’s embedded in the title and may actually be a big part of the point of the dream. Image by Roswila; color manipulated from green/blue]
July 13, 2011
WHAT IS THE SOUND OF OSTRICHES FLYING?
the sky fills with bombs –
flocks of flying ostriches
collateral damage
their large fleshy forms
crash to the ground in pain
now they are camels
huge suffering beasts
of burden who die slowly
where lies mercy’s bounds?
their misery will end we start shooting
[three dreamku and a monoku on a dream of 7-12-11. Image “Five of Wands” from the Rider/Waite/Smith Tarot deck]
July 14, 2011
AFTER THE FALL
the man and woman
start falling from a great height
empty city buildings
wound up together
in a tight ball they plummet
through the twilight
it takes barely long enough for
him to trust they won’t be hurt
he knows the small pillow
attached to their underside
will cushion the blow
and it does just that, as –
feather light – they hit concrete
a strange woman says
there’s something else amiss
needing attention
but all three know surviving
this fall is enough for now
[a dreamku and three tanka on a dream of 7-13-11. Image by Roswila; taken from the second floor balcony of the retirement community where I live; it's a view I have many pix of, in many different lights and from various angles and so on; it's a challenge to get it all lined up visually and not have the tall "chimney" take over the pic -- as I think it does here a bit; my favorite shot is one in which the full moon is in the early night sky between that chimney and the building on the right]
July 15, 2011
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
same square or brand new?
I keep working on them, one
after another
each small, and black and white
and oddly compelling
I don’t know what I’m doing .... so, what else is new?
[a tanka and a monoku on a dream of 7-15-11. Image by Roswila – The Hanged Man from my Taiga Tarot deck in progress]
July 16, 2011
THE COLLUSION
the small old lady
agrees to throw the fight
with the young strong man
she takes a few tumbles
as they box in the ring
he gives her the sign
to stay down for the count
but she bounces up
quickly again and again –
she’s changed her still spritely mind
[two tanka on a dream of 7-15-11. Image “The Tower” in Roswila’s Taiga Tarot]
July 17, 2011
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
prices stick to curled
edges of colorful petals
unfurled like tongues –
shadows and illusions
offer no purchase at all
[a tanka on a dream of 7-16-11. PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION is the name of a symphony by Mussorgorsky, about his experiences viewing paintings at an exhibition. I hesitated using it as the title because it seems rather weighty for a little dream tanka. However, this dream is about all the visualizing and preparing for my photo exhibit this July 24th. So it seems somewhat fitting. On another note (pun intended) there may be a big change in how I’m approaching this daily post. Or rather, a reverting to my approach in the early years. I.e., much more focus on the craft and the poem, than on dream interpretation or exploration. Image by Roswila]
July 18, 2011
STRING THEORY FOR DUMMIES
she’s cute but obese
a buff young man poses as
her body double –
appearance doesn’t just matter
it’s the whole ball of wax
[a tanka on a dream of 7-17-11. Interesting. I’m moving away from dream exploration and find I’m more than ever interested in the titles for the dreamku. (Click on title for info on string theory.) Hm, a sneaky way of exploring? If so, not bad, as it’s not a lengthy journey nor do I get all caught up in all sorts of side trips through my personal sturm und drang. At least so far, and two days isn’t exactly a long ride. :-D. Image by Roswila -- I may have gone too far in manipulating this photo. However it wasn't working in its original form so it's no loss. But I did learn something in the process -- thinking about this dreamku as I edited it may have overly-influenced the process ... i.e. I need to work on a photo just for its own sake. Not to fit a post here, which is like writing a poem wanting to meet someone else's criteria and not from one's own center.]
July 19, 2011
FIRST CLASS
her moue in response
to my singing speaks volumes
my reaction’s quick:
I walk out on them all
(can we spell “over the top,” kids?)
[a tanka on a dream of 7-18-11. Image by Roswila]
July 20, 2011
PASSING THROUGH
... and all the lost ones
have flown – winging their ways
through the echoing dark
their small feet never grazing
the dust, never making a mark
[a tanka on all dreams (none remembered, but I was quite aware there were lots of them) of 7-19-11. Click here for "Passing Through" lyrics. Image by Roswila]
July 21, 2011
we arrive for tea
with the retired old grifters –
time for judgment long past,
we enjoy their heavily
embellished memories
[a tanka on a dream of 7-20-11. Image by Roswila]
July 22, 2011
the night’s allegories
crumbled by the hot weight
of my frayed old quilt:
each seeps through loosened stitches,
a ghost rising and bound for home
[a tanka on another night of forgotten dreams of 7-21-11. Not unusual to have a night of no recall, especially when I’m not resting well. Right now, I’m an anxious bundle over my up-coming photo exhibit on July 24th. Image by Roswila]
July 23, 2011
his behavior bore
grave consequence way back when
but no longer can –
yet I heed tears brought on by this dream
like droplets from breath on a cold mirror
[a tanka on a dream of 7-22-11. You may note the syllable count is over on the last two lines in this tanka (they're usually 7 each). On occasion, I'm allowing myself to push the envelope. Drafting this post I began to see one of the influences in my recent move away from dream analysis, toward more intense focus on the writing of a poem. This is most obvious – beyond the lack of endless comments here – in my increasing use of simile and metaphor. This use of verbal imagery, I think, echos all the visual imagery I’ve inundated my poor brain with as I’ve been preparing for my photo exhibit tomorrow. Image by Roswila – This is a slightly revised version of a previously posted photo. What I did to it is called “sharpening” which seems highly appropriate given all those spines. :-D I also now note it’s the second day in a row I’ve chosen a “prickly” photo to post. Hm....]
NO POST ON JULY 24, 2011
July 25, 2011
No post yesterday, as it was the day of my photo exhibit. All went even better than I could have hoped. Now I have to get busy printing the photos people ordered. I had some for sale on the spot, too, and those sold better than I'd expected. But far more important to me than the sales were all the conversations about art. And even poetry! When planning the exhibit I'd wanted to include some of my poetry, too. So I snuck it in by printing a small booklet of daily posts from this blog. :-) The response that booklet got was the single biggest surprise of the day. Someone actually paid to have all 18 pages printed on photo paper and another woman wants to see it again before choosing which of the pages she may want. I'd not anticipated anyone wanting to purchase pix with poems "contaminating" them LOL! Especially my rather "dense" dream poems. It was delightful to have all the very positive feedback. There were comments about my pix making ordinary things look extraordinary. I kept saying that I don't think anything is really ordinary. It's all in how we look at it both literally and metaphorically speaking, and that this is what photography keeps teaching me, over and over. (That was my pesky teacher self surfacing. :-D) Last but certainly not least, it was rather lovely to spend time in a constantly shifting little bevy of friends. Image by Roswila; that's my cane on the right, propping up that gorgeous bloom which had flopped over, top heavy for its stem. The label hanging from the bamboo cane is like a dog tag, should I lose or forget it somewhere. It's a very important "friend," especially as it's also a flute. I'll need it more than ever today as I'm not only exhausted but very achy and sore. There was a lot of walking, getting up and down from my seat, stretching, reaching, and lifting and hauling of heavy things yesterday.
July 26, 2011
OF MOTES AND BEAMS
he wants to argue
the fine line between legal
and willful blindness –
when I won’t comply
he walks out in huff
I return to looking
at card-sized black and white photos
I realize viewing
newest to oldest won’t work
and start at the beginning
[two tanka on a dream of 7-25-11. Image by Roswila]
July 27, 2011
summer morning
disappointment:
he was only a dream
[an old dreamku posted on 8-23-06. This may be a very old dream/ku, but I had the same experience this morning. I'll blame it on the fact that July through September is my high energy time of year; energy of all kinds. :-) Image "Disappointment" by Roswila]
July 28, 2011
IN OUR SHOES
together again
after all this time, we dance
across the ice rink –
none of us three women wears
ice skates, our work shoes just fine
[tanka on a dream of 7-27-11. This dream/ku put me immediately in mind of the Three of Cups in the Tarot. This version below is from The Aquatic Tarot:
Image at the top of this post is by Roswila]
July 29, 2011
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM?
a triplicity
shows in a second night’s dream:
she’s preparing to move
into new rooms – three empty
containers await filling
nearly person-height
they’re more like graceful vases
narrow waisted
one wonders how much each can
actually accommodate
[two tanka on a dream of 7-28-11. That second line in the first tanka references the dream/ku posted here yesterday in which there were three women. I also associate this dream’s imagery to the Three of Cups (3C) in the Tarot, as I did yesterday’s. So here’s yet another deck’s version of the 3C, from the Penguin Parade Tarot by Robyn Tisch Hollister as it appears on Adam's Tarot Weblog:
Image at top of this post “The Chalice,” by Roswila]
July 30, 2011
AT SEA
one could be tempted
to think a flotilla sank
with all aboard
memories keep bobbling up
sunlit or moon-veiled flotsam
[a tanka on a dream of 7-29-11. Image "Sea Rose" by Roswila, the accidental coloring in the photo was intensified by computer]
July 31, 2011
WHAT GOES ‘ROUND...
the pastel colors
on the fuzzy round pages
need some adjusting
I clarify all, aware
it all began with Mama
[a tanka on a dream of 7-30-11. My mother's (who died when I was 10) favorite color was yellow, and so therefore today’s Roswila photo in grateful memory of Mary Jane. It’s titled “I Remember Crinolens!” which were all the rage back in the ‘50's. :-D]
[PLEASE NOTE that in most browsers you can click on the image for a larger version.]
July 1, 2011
ON LEAVING
has she graduated?
will she leave this college town
with all the other grads?
I go to ask her
in her room by the water
her answers to both “no”
but I stay anxious – there’s still
that old distance between us
she leaves me in her
room for a ride in her small
brightly painted boat
I fuss with my hair and make-up
for my long walk home
I give up on my hair
and squash a green straw fedora
over my now blue locks
she comes back in looking puzzled
that I’m still in her space
my explanation
as obvious as it is awkward
I’m not ready yet
[a dreamku, three tanka, and a dreamku on a dream of 6-30-11. Image "The Fog Lifts" by Roswila]
July 2, 2011
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
[re-posting; three dream tanka and one dreamku on a dream of 8-12-09. No dream recall, so I looked through old dreamku to find a relevant one. Image by Roswila]
July 3, 2011
EIGHT MILLION STORIES
IN THE NAKED ELEVATOR
his delight’s infectious
(it’s taken only one year
to learn the language!)
her intense worry’s
clear to all who get on and off
(will her lie be outed?)
someone toes a white
sheet of paper on the floor
(there, now those sharp blades
are covered again – out of sight
out of everyone’s mind) ....
[two dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 7-2-11. The title is taken from the closing line to a very old, sort of “film noirish” T.V. crime show, The Naked City. (If I recall correctly: “There are eight million stories in the naked city, this has been one of them.”) Image by Roswila -- a view I see a lot as I wait by the ground floor elevator door]
July 4, 2011
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
THE FUCHSIA CROW
the enormous crow
perches on a small table
is it a real one:
sleek and long beaked
with a solid fuchsia body,
multi-colored feathers
drape in brilliant abstract shapes
over its head and wing tops
on second look, yes, it’s a living bird my delight
[a dreamku, tanka, and monoku on a dream of 7-3-11. Image “Surprise!” by Roswila]
July 5, 2011
thin magic pillow
earlier it gave us food
we slip batteries
under it for re-charging
and voila! they are
[tanka on a dream of 7-4-11. Image by Roswila; the photo is one of my earliest, from about two years ago when I was just getting hooked on taking pix]
July 6, 2011
HONK! HONK! AND TWO HARD BOILED EGGS
many hard boiled eggs
try out for the new chorus
none are on-pitch
I pitch in for one
cracked egg who’s clearly absent
I’m accepted though
I’d not actually planned to join
with these singing egg heads
they’re all very nice
especially two whom I’ll drive
to a late brunch
they release their foot brakes
not knowing the chance they’re taking
we chatter happily -- I don't know how to drive
[a dreamku, two tanka, and a monoku on a dream of 7-5-11. The title is a line that was used in my family to indicate endless silliness. It’s actually a misquote (though I have no idea if my father knew that) of a Marx Brothers exchange in one of their movies. Image "After the Senior Prom" by Roswila; and I did find this scene the day after a recent "Senior Prom" dance in the retirement community I live in]
July 7, 2011
THE CATCH
OK, here’s the catch:
blue and white crochet patterns
only for infants
[dreamku on a dream fragment of 7-6-11. Image by Roswila]
July 8, 2011
IN SEARCH OF THE AMAZON
where’s my wonderful
stone-finish Amazon figurine
misplaced gift
I get dressed up
to hunt for this classic nude
named “Red Amazon”
I drape a purple paisley scarf
casually around my neck
there she is, Her face
to the wall on a small shelf
Her supporting column
with its decorative vines allows
a glimpse of Her strong back
my young co-worker
though polite could not care less
about my discovery
still I try to encourage her
to go and take a quick look
ah well sometimes even joy can’t be shared
[a dreamku, three tanka, and a monoku on a dream of 7-8-11. Image by Roswila]
July 9, 2011
UNDERFOOT
dreams of steadily
walking, blank square by blank square
what’s right underfoot
gets written down for a second
then it, too, vanishes
[a tanka on a recurrent image throughout the dreams of 7-8-11. Image "Walking on Air" by Roswila]
July 10, 2011
large long-legged spider
why do you keep crawling
onto each blank page,
your black reach itself cursive
what are you trying to say?
I shoo you gently – it’s said that spiders bring luck
[a tanka and a monoku on a dream of 7-10-11. Image “Will You Walk Into My Parlor...?” by Roswila; title is a quote from that famous poem about a spider tempting a fly into its web]
July 11, 2011
CLOSER
a potted plant I wish to
photograph sits too far away
it’s nicely back lit
sunlight frosting its leaves
in patterns I itch to capture
a young fair-haired man,
still grieving his lover’s death,
offers to help me
my own loss still quite fresh
I’m grateful for his thoughtfulness
the sun reflects off
his cap’s colorful lettering
he moves the plant closer
[two tanka and a dreamku on a dream of 7-10-11. Image by Roswila]
July 12, 2011
LONG STRANGE TRIP
the aliens’ eyes
shine a gelid pale gold
their limbs, pseudopods
why did my family
trick me onto this spaceship
with cavernous halls
and why this email from Mother
that there’s nothing wrong at all
[a dreamku and a tanka on a dream of 7-11-11. I dunnoh! I'm just the dreamer. LOL. A line from a song -- “Lately it occurs to me: What a long, strange trip it’s been” came up on recalling this little dream. (The song is “Truckin’” by the Grateful Dead.) So that’s embedded in the title and may actually be a big part of the point of the dream. Image by Roswila; color manipulated from green/blue]
July 13, 2011
WHAT IS THE SOUND OF OSTRICHES FLYING?
the sky fills with bombs –
flocks of flying ostriches
collateral damage
their large fleshy forms
crash to the ground in pain
now they are camels
huge suffering beasts
of burden who die slowly
where lies mercy’s bounds?
their misery will end we start shooting
[three dreamku and a monoku on a dream of 7-12-11. Image “Five of Wands” from the Rider/Waite/Smith Tarot deck]
July 14, 2011
AFTER THE FALL
the man and woman
start falling from a great height
empty city buildings
wound up together
in a tight ball they plummet
through the twilight
it takes barely long enough for
him to trust they won’t be hurt
he knows the small pillow
attached to their underside
will cushion the blow
and it does just that, as –
feather light – they hit concrete
a strange woman says
there’s something else amiss
needing attention
but all three know surviving
this fall is enough for now
[a dreamku and three tanka on a dream of 7-13-11. Image by Roswila; taken from the second floor balcony of the retirement community where I live; it's a view I have many pix of, in many different lights and from various angles and so on; it's a challenge to get it all lined up visually and not have the tall "chimney" take over the pic -- as I think it does here a bit; my favorite shot is one in which the full moon is in the early night sky between that chimney and the building on the right]
July 15, 2011
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
same square or brand new?
I keep working on them, one
after another
each small, and black and white
and oddly compelling
I don’t know what I’m doing .... so, what else is new?
[a tanka and a monoku on a dream of 7-15-11. Image by Roswila – The Hanged Man from my Taiga Tarot deck in progress]
July 16, 2011
THE COLLUSION
the small old lady
agrees to throw the fight
with the young strong man
she takes a few tumbles
as they box in the ring
he gives her the sign
to stay down for the count
but she bounces up
quickly again and again –
she’s changed her still spritely mind
[two tanka on a dream of 7-15-11. Image “The Tower” in Roswila’s Taiga Tarot]
July 17, 2011
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
prices stick to curled
edges of colorful petals
unfurled like tongues –
shadows and illusions
offer no purchase at all
[a tanka on a dream of 7-16-11. PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION is the name of a symphony by Mussorgorsky, about his experiences viewing paintings at an exhibition. I hesitated using it as the title because it seems rather weighty for a little dream tanka. However, this dream is about all the visualizing and preparing for my photo exhibit this July 24th. So it seems somewhat fitting. On another note (pun intended) there may be a big change in how I’m approaching this daily post. Or rather, a reverting to my approach in the early years. I.e., much more focus on the craft and the poem, than on dream interpretation or exploration. Image by Roswila]
July 18, 2011
STRING THEORY FOR DUMMIES
she’s cute but obese
a buff young man poses as
her body double –
appearance doesn’t just matter
it’s the whole ball of wax
[a tanka on a dream of 7-17-11. Interesting. I’m moving away from dream exploration and find I’m more than ever interested in the titles for the dreamku. (Click on title for info on string theory.) Hm, a sneaky way of exploring? If so, not bad, as it’s not a lengthy journey nor do I get all caught up in all sorts of side trips through my personal sturm und drang. At least so far, and two days isn’t exactly a long ride. :-D. Image by Roswila -- I may have gone too far in manipulating this photo. However it wasn't working in its original form so it's no loss. But I did learn something in the process -- thinking about this dreamku as I edited it may have overly-influenced the process ... i.e. I need to work on a photo just for its own sake. Not to fit a post here, which is like writing a poem wanting to meet someone else's criteria and not from one's own center.]
July 19, 2011
FIRST CLASS
her moue in response
to my singing speaks volumes
my reaction’s quick:
I walk out on them all
(can we spell “over the top,” kids?)
[a tanka on a dream of 7-18-11. Image by Roswila]
July 20, 2011
PASSING THROUGH
... and all the lost ones
have flown – winging their ways
through the echoing dark
their small feet never grazing
the dust, never making a mark
[a tanka on all dreams (none remembered, but I was quite aware there were lots of them) of 7-19-11. Click here for "Passing Through" lyrics. Image by Roswila]
July 21, 2011
we arrive for tea
with the retired old grifters –
time for judgment long past,
we enjoy their heavily
embellished memories
[a tanka on a dream of 7-20-11. Image by Roswila]
July 22, 2011
the night’s allegories
crumbled by the hot weight
of my frayed old quilt:
each seeps through loosened stitches,
a ghost rising and bound for home
[a tanka on another night of forgotten dreams of 7-21-11. Not unusual to have a night of no recall, especially when I’m not resting well. Right now, I’m an anxious bundle over my up-coming photo exhibit on July 24th. Image by Roswila]
July 23, 2011
his behavior bore
grave consequence way back when
but no longer can –
yet I heed tears brought on by this dream
like droplets from breath on a cold mirror
[a tanka on a dream of 7-22-11. You may note the syllable count is over on the last two lines in this tanka (they're usually 7 each). On occasion, I'm allowing myself to push the envelope. Drafting this post I began to see one of the influences in my recent move away from dream analysis, toward more intense focus on the writing of a poem. This is most obvious – beyond the lack of endless comments here – in my increasing use of simile and metaphor. This use of verbal imagery, I think, echos all the visual imagery I’ve inundated my poor brain with as I’ve been preparing for my photo exhibit tomorrow. Image by Roswila – This is a slightly revised version of a previously posted photo. What I did to it is called “sharpening” which seems highly appropriate given all those spines. :-D I also now note it’s the second day in a row I’ve chosen a “prickly” photo to post. Hm....]
NO POST ON JULY 24, 2011
July 25, 2011
No post yesterday, as it was the day of my photo exhibit. All went even better than I could have hoped. Now I have to get busy printing the photos people ordered. I had some for sale on the spot, too, and those sold better than I'd expected. But far more important to me than the sales were all the conversations about art. And even poetry! When planning the exhibit I'd wanted to include some of my poetry, too. So I snuck it in by printing a small booklet of daily posts from this blog. :-) The response that booklet got was the single biggest surprise of the day. Someone actually paid to have all 18 pages printed on photo paper and another woman wants to see it again before choosing which of the pages she may want. I'd not anticipated anyone wanting to purchase pix with poems "contaminating" them LOL! Especially my rather "dense" dream poems. It was delightful to have all the very positive feedback. There were comments about my pix making ordinary things look extraordinary. I kept saying that I don't think anything is really ordinary. It's all in how we look at it both literally and metaphorically speaking, and that this is what photography keeps teaching me, over and over. (That was my pesky teacher self surfacing. :-D) Last but certainly not least, it was rather lovely to spend time in a constantly shifting little bevy of friends. Image by Roswila; that's my cane on the right, propping up that gorgeous bloom which had flopped over, top heavy for its stem. The label hanging from the bamboo cane is like a dog tag, should I lose or forget it somewhere. It's a very important "friend," especially as it's also a flute. I'll need it more than ever today as I'm not only exhausted but very achy and sore. There was a lot of walking, getting up and down from my seat, stretching, reaching, and lifting and hauling of heavy things yesterday.
July 26, 2011
OF MOTES AND BEAMS
he wants to argue
the fine line between legal
and willful blindness –
when I won’t comply
he walks out in huff
I return to looking
at card-sized black and white photos
I realize viewing
newest to oldest won’t work
and start at the beginning
[two tanka on a dream of 7-25-11. Image by Roswila]
July 27, 2011
summer morning
disappointment:
he was only a dream
[an old dreamku posted on 8-23-06. This may be a very old dream/ku, but I had the same experience this morning. I'll blame it on the fact that July through September is my high energy time of year; energy of all kinds. :-) Image "Disappointment" by Roswila]
July 28, 2011
IN OUR SHOES
together again
after all this time, we dance
across the ice rink –
none of us three women wears
ice skates, our work shoes just fine
[tanka on a dream of 7-27-11. This dream/ku put me immediately in mind of the Three of Cups in the Tarot. This version below is from The Aquatic Tarot:
Image at the top of this post is by Roswila] July 29, 2011
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM?
a triplicity
shows in a second night’s dream:
she’s preparing to move
into new rooms – three empty
containers await filling
nearly person-height
they’re more like graceful vases
narrow waisted
one wonders how much each can
actually accommodate
[two tanka on a dream of 7-28-11. That second line in the first tanka references the dream/ku posted here yesterday in which there were three women. I also associate this dream’s imagery to the Three of Cups (3C) in the Tarot, as I did yesterday’s. So here’s yet another deck’s version of the 3C, from the Penguin Parade Tarot by Robyn Tisch Hollister as it appears on Adam's Tarot Weblog:
Image at top of this post “The Chalice,” by Roswila]
July 30, 2011
AT SEA
one could be tempted
to think a flotilla sank
with all aboard
memories keep bobbling up
sunlit or moon-veiled flotsam
[a tanka on a dream of 7-29-11. Image "Sea Rose" by Roswila, the accidental coloring in the photo was intensified by computer]
July 31, 2011
WHAT GOES ‘ROUND...
the pastel colors
on the fuzzy round pages
need some adjusting
I clarify all, aware
it all began with Mama
[a tanka on a dream of 7-30-11. My mother's (who died when I was 10) favorite color was yellow, and so therefore today’s Roswila photo in grateful memory of Mary Jane. It’s titled “I Remember Crinolens!” which were all the rage back in the ‘50's. :-D]
* * * *
‘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, OPENING TO THE LIGHT (for digital pix only), and Yahoo DREAMJIN: Group for Dreamku – Haiku-Like Dream Poems ****
posted by Roswila @ 12:01 AM
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