WAY SHOWER (photo) & FARE THEE WELL (dreamku) by Roswila

FARE THEE WELL

it's neither my job
nor any of my business
but the young mildly
retarded man seems to need help
to find his way back home

down again to the
basement, I say, walk along
the only tunnel,
then turn right once you exit
by the same door you came in

in my mind's eye I
see the exit onto the street
I should warn him it's
up several brick steps to get
out, with a left turn, not right

but he's already
well on his dogged way
I also forgot
to tell him there will always
be others around to ask

I stop guilty thoughts
his blonde hair shines in my mind
as I mouth: fare thee well


[four tanka and a dreamku on a several month's old dream of 12-18-11. Further to my experiences getting used to blogger (this blog's host system) new version, it does seem to move faster. There are issues I'm dealing with but they may be due to my having an old browser (blogger did recommend Google Chrome over my old one when I first began using their new editor). I suppose I could look at it all as a way of keeping my brain young. Or at least of keeping a few of the brain cells I have left alive and kicking. Photo “Way Shower” by Roswila; “Shower” can be pronounced with either a long "o" or to rhyme with "bower," and each meaning applies.]

PLEASE NOTE that I never have nor do I now lay claim to having been the first to suggest writing about our dreams in the haiku form. In fact, the haijin (Haiku Masters of centuries ago) sometimes wrote haiku on dreams. But even more importantly, what I have been developing for several years now on this blog is not even truly haiku or tanka or monoku. The ways in which I have been using and experimenting with these forms makes the results more akin to kissing cousins of these small Eastern poetry forms. Therefore, I mostly use the term "dreamku" to distinguish what I do from those traditional forms. Click here for a more in-depth INTRODUCTION than follows below, including links to my THREE PART PRIMER on the basic (most haiku-like) dreamku form.

Also, the photo accompanying a daily dream poem or non-dream based poem is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse -- similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku). I've also recently realized that although the dreamku (i.e. dream based poems) posted here tend not to have metaphor or simile, the accompanying photos almost always act as such.

To write a metaphor or simile into a dream scenario is something I rarely do. It can be confusing: did it really look like a hand, say, in the dream, or am I just being poetic to make my conscious point? As these dreamku act as a dream journal, my over-riding tendency is to try to stay close to the actual dream scenario itself. Admittedly making for a tendency to less "poetic" dreamku. Then why pay attention to any haiku, tanka, or monoku parameters at all when writing about my dreams? Because I find in even attempting to adhere to them I'm making choices that relieve my dream recall of a great deal of chatter so that I can get down to some important dream aspects. Here's a link to THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING PHOTOS in which I go into some of the basic parameters for dreamku and the photos chosen to go with them (and with any non-dream based poems I post here, as well).

The archives in the sidebar hold years of the daily dreamku, tanka, monoku and photo posts I've made, grouped in one post by month. As I no longer post dreamku (or non-dream based poems) strictly daily, each post will appear below and then in the archives by the day on which it was posted.

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. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006 in the sidebar.

* * * *

‘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; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and OPENING TO THE LIGHT ****

ALIEN VIEWPOINT (photo) & CONTAGION (dreamku) by Roswila

CONTAGION

they're anaerobic
but there are so many and they
breed way too quickly
it'll take a lot of breath to
blow their house away

I huff and I puff where's a wolf when you need one


[a tanka on a dream of 10-15-11. Some complaining before going on to the above dreamku -- Blogger (this blog's host system) has finally put up their totally revamped editing system. Ack! I’m so tired of things being fixed that "ain't broke." Now I have to go through contortions as I learn the new system, and may even wind up having to download a new browser (Google Chrome – Google’s taking over the world) in order to access all the functions. And just from putting up this post today I've learned it takes extra steps (clicks) to get many things done. How's that any improvement? Anyway, with all I’ve been going through trying to patch up this old computer until I can afford a new one, this could not be worse timing. I never thought I’d be one of those old people who has trouble with change, but I do. Especially change that seems rather unnecessary -- just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be. Though I hasten to add, I am grateful that blogging here is still free. Anyway, this is an old dream/ku but it seems all too apropos of my blogger complaint today and about as hopeless. Photo “Alien Viewpoint” by Roswila]

PLEASE NOTE that I never have nor do I now lay claim to having been the first to suggest writing about our dreams in the haiku form. In fact, the haijin (Haiku Masters of centuries ago) sometimes wrote haiku on dreams. But even more importantly, what I have been developing for several years now on this blog is not even truly haiku or tanka or monoku. The ways in which I have been using and experimenting with these forms makes the results more akin to kissing cousins of these small Eastern poetry forms. Therefore, I mostly use the term "dreamku" to distinguish what I do from those traditional forms. Click here for a more in-depth INTRODUCTION than follows below, including links to my THREE PART PRIMER on the basic (most haiku-like) dreamku form.

Also, the photo accompanying a daily dream poem or non-dream based poem is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse -- similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku). I've also recently realized that although the dreamku (i.e. dream based poems) posted here tend not to have metaphor or simile, the accompanying photos almost always act as such.

To write a metaphor or simile into a dream scenario is something I rarely do. It can be confusing: did it really look like a hand, say, in the dream, or am I just being poetic to make my conscious point? As these dreamku act as a dream journal, my over-riding tendency is to try to stay close to the actual dream scenario itself. Admittedly making for a tendency to less "poetic" dreamku. Then why pay attention to any haiku, tanka, or monoku parameters at all when writing about my dreams? Because I find in even attempting to adhere to them I'm making choices that relieve my dream recall of a great deal of chatter so that I can get down to some important dream aspects. Here's a link to THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING PHOTOS in which I go into some of the basic parameters for dreamku and the photos chosen to go with them (and with any non-dream based poems I post here, as well).

The archives in the sidebar hold years of the daily dreamku, tanka, monoku and photo posts I've made, grouped in one post by month. As I no longer post dreamku (or non-dream based poems) strictly daily, each post will appear below and then in the archives by the day on which it was posted.

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. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006 in the sidebar.

* * * *

‘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; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and OPENING TO THE LIGHT ****

DREAM HAIGA (haiku & photo) by Roswila

["The fleeing doe..." haiku written in a dream of 4-17-12, added to an old photo of mine that I edited for the purpose of this haiga (haiku on an image). It's always difficult, often impossible, for me to recall what I've written or read in my dreams. When I do recall it's usually what I know to be only part of what was composed or read. This time I recalled it all. I also remember going over and over the words precisely so that I would recall them. (Guess this might therefore be considered a slightly lucid dream -- knowing one is dreaming as one is dreaming.) The haiku in the dream was one surge or stream coming from a dream awareness. The other surge -- the primary one -- was a visual image: a black and white scene that was much like a sketch of a running doe. Note made in August of 2013: I have since changed that first "the" in this dreamku to "a" (a fleeting doe...) which makes for a smoother reading of the piece, I think.]

PLEASE NOTE that I never have nor do I now lay claim to having been the first to suggest writing about our dreams in the haiku form. In fact, the haijin (Haiku Masters of centuries ago) sometimes wrote haiku on dreams. But even more importantly, what I have been developing for several years now on this blog is not even truly haiku or tanka or monoku. The ways in which I have been using and experimenting with these forms makes the results more akin to kissing cousins of these small Eastern poetry forms. Therefore, I mostly use the term "dreamku" to distinguish what I do from those traditional forms. Click here for a more in-depth INTRODUCTION than follows below, including links to my THREE PART PRIMER on the basic (most haiku-like) dreamku form.

Also, the photo accompanying a daily dream poem or non-dream based poem is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse -- similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku). I've also recently realized that although the dreamku (i.e. dream based poems) posted here tend not to have metaphor or simile, the accompanying photos almost always act as such.

To write a metaphor or simile into a dream scenario is something I rarely do. It can be confusing: did it really look like a hand, say, in the dream, or am I just being poetic to make my conscious point? As these dreamku act as a dream journal, my over-riding tendency is to try to stay close to the actual dream scenario itself. Admittedly making for a tendency to less "poetic" dreamku. Then why pay attention to any haiku, tanka, or monoku parameters at all when writing about my dreams? Because I find in even attempting to adhere to them I'm making choices that relieve my dream recall of a great deal of chatter so that I can get down to some important dream aspects. Here's a link to THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING PHOTOS in which I go into some of the basic parameters for dreamku and the photos chosen to go with them (and with any non-dream based poems I post here, as well).

The archives in the sidebar hold years of the daily dreamku, tanka, monoku and photo posts I've made, grouped in one post by month. As I no longer post dreamku (or non-dream based poems) strictly daily, each post will appear below and then in the archives by the day on which it was posted.

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. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006 in the sidebar.

* * * *

‘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; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and OPENING TO THE LIGHT ****

POINTS OF VIEW (photo) & APPEARANCES (dreamku) by Roswila

APPEARANCES

she walks to her hair-
styling appointment around
the corner from home
the rose print of her old yellow
robe rumpling with each step

wearing only white socks
with no shoes, she realizes black
socks would’ve been better
(she cannot avoid all
the many sidewalk puddles)

and knows that her salon
friends will be at least as sad she
about the demise
of their mutual good friend –
how will they all cope

a concern rises:
what will they consider proper
mourning behavior,
her own grief cloaked as it is
in inappropriate attire


[four tanka on a dream of 4-15-12. Photo “Points of View” by Roswila]

PLEASE NOTE that I never have nor do I now lay claim to having been the first to suggest writing about our dreams in the haiku form. In fact, the haijin (Haiku Masters of centuries ago) sometimes wrote haiku on dreams. But even more importantly, what I have been developing for several years now on this blog is not even truly haiku or tanka or monoku. The ways in which I have been using and experimenting with these forms makes the results more akin to kissing cousins of these small Eastern poetry forms. Therefore, I mostly use the term "dreamku" to distinguish what I do from those traditional forms. Click here for a more in-depth INTRODUCTION than follows below, including links to my THREE PART PRIMER on the basic (most haiku-like) dreamku form.

Also, the photo accompanying a daily dream poem or non-dream based poem is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse -- similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku). I've also recently realized that although the dreamku (i.e. dream based poems) posted here tend not to have metaphor or simile, the accompanying photos almost always act as such.

To write a metaphor or simile into a dream scenario is something I rarely do. It can be confusing: did it really look like a hand, say, in the dream, or am I just being poetic to make my conscious point? As these dreamku act as a dream journal, my over-riding tendency is to try to stay close to the actual dream scenario itself. Admittedly making for a tendency to less "poetic" dreamku. Then why pay attention to any haiku, tanka, or monoku parameters at all when writing about my dreams? Because I find in even attempting to adhere to them I'm making choices that relieve my dream recall of a great deal of chatter so that I can get down to some important dream aspects. Here's a link to THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING PHOTOS in which I go into some of the basic parameters for dreamku and the photos chosen to go with them (and with any non-dream based poems I post here, as well).

The archives in the sidebar hold years of the daily dreamku, tanka, monoku and photo posts I've made, grouped in one post by month. As I no longer post dreamku (or non-dream based poems) strictly daily, each post will appear below and then in the archives by the day on which it was posted.

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. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006 in the sidebar.

* * * *

‘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; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and OPENING TO THE LIGHT ****

OSTARA'S JEMS (photo) & APRIL IS THE CRUELLEST MONTH (dreamku series) by Roswila

APRIL IS THE CRUELLEST MONTH

I

maybe her number’s
coming up – photo file numbers
keep appearing
filling the screen of her dreaming
mind with cryptic significance


II

is he or is he
not flirting with her? as always
she can’t be certain
he offers her a ride to
the bus stop and she gets in

it’s a crowded ride
as she takes up so much room --
she tries to squash down
but she’s still too much for his
dark low-slung sports car

when she can’t understand
his accent he gets angry
calling her stupid --
turning his car around he
takes her right back to start


III

she determines this
time to make her own way
home from their house --
before she can leave, their young
blond boy whispers a snark at her

hiding her surprise
and deep hurt at his nasty
rejection she says
openly: “We know how we
feel about each other”

everyone else there
thinks she’s totally to blame
since as usual
she was the one to acknowledge
the elephant in the room

and as usual she's also
alone again, naturally

[tanka series capped by one two-liner, on three different dreams of 4-14-12. The title is from T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Wasteland” and it occurred to me as soon as I realized I was going to write about all of the dreams I recall from last night. Here’s the opening of Eliot's poem:

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers...

(Apropos of nothing in particular here, decades ago during my one ultimately unfinished attempt to get a college education I wrote a paper on this poem, a Jungian analysis. What an experience to use a Jungian framework from which to approach this amazing poem!)

The last line of the above dreamku series is from an old Gilbert O’Sullivan song, which occurred to me immediately on recalling my third dream’s ending. Here are some of the relevant lyrics:

I truly am indeed
Alone again, naturally
It seems to me that
there are more hearts
Broken in the world
that can't be mended

Left unattended
What do we do
What do we do
Alone again, naturally

Think maybe I’m into a bit of self-pity? Ah well, better to name and own it all and not just let it lie like a denied elephant in the middle of my mind. Maybe then I can move on. Photo “Ostara’s Jems” by Roswila -- This may seem like a rather cheerful photo for this dreamku series. However, Ostara is an ancient Goddess of Spring. And one of the numbers in the first dream above turned out to be the file number for this photo.]

PLEASE NOTE that I never have nor do I now lay claim to having been the first to suggest writing about our dreams in the haiku form. In fact, the haijin (Haiku Masters of centuries ago) sometimes wrote haiku on dreams. But even more importantly, what I have been developing for several years now on this blog is not even truly haiku or tanka or monoku. The ways in which I have been using and experimenting with these forms makes the results more akin to kissing cousins of these small Eastern poetry forms. Therefore, I mostly use the term "dreamku" to distinguish what I do from those traditional forms. Click here for a more in-depth INTRODUCTION than follows below, including links to my THREE PART PRIMER on the basic (most haiku-like) dreamku form.

Also, the photo accompanying a daily dream poem or non-dream based poem is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse -- similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku). I've also recently realized that although the dreamku (i.e. dream based poems) posted here tend not to have metaphor or simile, the accompanying photos almost always act as such.

To write a metaphor or simile into a dream scenario is something I rarely do. It can be confusing: did it really look like a hand, say, in the dream, or am I just being poetic to make my conscious point? As these dreamku act as a dream journal, my over-riding tendency is to try to stay close to the actual dream scenario itself. Admittedly making for a tendency to less "poetic" dreamku. Then why pay attention to any haiku, tanka, or monoku parameters at all when writing about my dreams? Because I find in even attempting to adhere to them I'm making choices that relieve my dream recall of a great deal of chatter so that I can get down to some important dream aspects. Here's a link to THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING PHOTOS in which I go into some of the basic parameters for dreamku and the photos chosen to go with them (and with any non-dream based poems I post here, as well).

The archives in the sidebar hold years of the daily dreamku, tanka, monoku and photo posts I've made, grouped in one post by month. As I no longer post dreamku (or non-dream based poems) strictly daily, each post will appear below and then in the archives by the day on which it was posted.

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. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006 in the sidebar.

* * * *

‘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; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and OPENING TO THE LIGHT ****