THE HEART OF THE MATTER (photo) & SHAPING UP (dreamku series) by Roswila

SHAPING UP

ah! exercising
feels so awfully good
especially stretching
and she’s surprised the teacher
lets her work in her own way

maybe it’s dumb but
she’s proud after all this time
to be flexible,
tighter than before but no worse
than some of the slim young folk

the teacher paces,
his forbearance wearing thin
he starts to speak of
a new way of eating that’s
received raves and awards

she continues her
favorite series of yoga
floor stretches
his food proselytizing
rolling off each line and curve

there’s nothing new under the sun for her
about diet – it’s grateful acceptance that works


[four tanka and a capping two-liner on a dream of 10-28-12. Oh my goodness, talk about wish fulfillment, especially in that exercise portion. Yes, I can still touch my toes and bend and reach, but yoga stretches like I used to do? Not gonna happen, not with these knees. But it did feel so good in the dream, just as it did when I was able to do them. And the basic point of the dream – grateful acceptance – is right here now, for the accepting. It may seem like a bit of a contradiction but I’ve been working at acceptance, of everything. Each time I remind myself to embrace whatever it is that’s happening, not to fight it or try to understand it all out of shape, is like a dress rehearsal for a time when I’ll simply accept. Same goes for gratitude. Acceptance and gratitude, two sides to the same coin of the moment. Photo “The Heart of the Matter” by Roswila]

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO DREAMKU (& PHOTOS): The dream-based poems posted on this blog -- dreamku, tanka, two-liners, and monoku -- are offered in the spirit of collaboration. I have done my part. Now it’s your turn to jump in and see what comes up for you. I.e., there is no right or wrong way to understand or interpret any of these dream offerings. Even my own understandings of them change over time. And it gives me joy when a reader sees something in any of them that I have not.

For more in-depth exploration:

-- a brief post about both dreamku and my photos THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING DIGITAL PHOTOS.

-- detailed three-part post about dreamku: "A DREAMKU PRIMER: Writing Haiku-Like Poems About Your Night Dreams": PART ONE: Introduction & Writing Dreamku as Dream Work; 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).

-- a brief up-dating post about the three-part "A DREAMKU PRIMER" -- Important Up-date to A DREAMKU PRIMER....".

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,






If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”). Roswila's other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.