THE SECRET GARDEN (photo) & ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK (dream tanka series) by Roswila

ALL IN A NIGHT’S WORK

her wig’s the first thing
I notice about her as she
knocks to come in –
it’s ill-fitting and way too
dark for her pale complexion

and the scent of fear
that trails her into my room
clinches my thinking:
she and her little son are
being mercilessly stalked

she asks only to
leave a note for the cops –
as she starts to write
her tow-headed son falls asleep
on my messy unmade bed

it’s clear they need rest
I tell her they can sleep here,
that I’ll put fresh sheets
on the bed then take her note
to my fellow policemen

I reach for the messy
sheets and blanket -- her son’s weaved
a cave, a tight nest
changing my bed can wait
I smile as she joins her son


[five tanka based on a dream of 10-10-12. Second night with a theme of rest. And I do wish I could get some rest from the recent upsurge in intense emotions and memories. At least here the "I" seems to be in charge and taking proper care. Hm, I just had a strong association to the expressions "give it a rest" and "put it to rest." And that's where wish fulfillment comes in; I've not seemed able to do either in waking life. Photo “The Secret Garden” 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.