OFFERING (photo) & THE THING WITH FEATHERS (dream tanka & two-liner) by Roswila

THE THING WITH FEATHERS*

two caged birds … sparrows?
parakeets? … left in her care
appear to be dead --
which motivates her hand more
toward these small feathered lumps …

guilt for so sorely neglecting them
or disbelief they’ll never fly again


[a tanka and a two-liner on a dream of 7-20-12. *The title is from the poem by Emily Dickinson, ”Hope”. Photo “Offering” 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.

NESTING (photo) & THE GOLDEN EAGLE (tanka dream series) by Roswila

THE GOLDEN EAGLE

flat broke and without
a token for the ride she
gets on the endless
token line anyway in the
underground subway station

she decides she’ll try
to barter her golden eagle
ring for her passage,
as she gathers the patience
to await the unsure outcome

on seeing her ring
the token booth worker pauses
then quietly says
“It seems an unfair exchange,
do you really want to make it”

she nods, and he hands
her several tokens, more
than she’d hoped for --
she heads for the turnstiles
clutching the fruits of her barter

she still does not know
where she’s headed or why
only that the memory
of the golden eagle ring
casts a pale light before her


[five tanka on a dream of 7-19-12. There are many levels both collectively and personally to the symbolism of the golden eagle -- and much else in this dream -- which made this a very challenging series to write. But it was also a more than usually surprising and rewarding process, and ultimately supportive. Photo "Nesting" 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.

WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE (photo) & FAIRY TALE REDUX (tanka/dreamku pair) by Roswila

FAIRY TALE REDUX

that big old bad wolf
wants in again – he’s knocking
at the hidden door
will my desire betray me
giving him full access

and who’s that woman
in the shadows watching us
this sad old story


[a tanka and a dreamku on a dream of 7-19-12. Photo “What Big Teeth You Have” 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.

HEAT WAVES (photo) & FLASH DREAM (tanka dream series) by Roswila

FLASH DREAM

it curls against me
before I realize it’s a
bitter-sweet memory,
hot flesh pressed against my bare
butt, back, and curved legs

human? animal?
alien from outer space?
did it crash my sleep
through the open window and what
does it want from me?

I wake from this all
too realistic mashing
from a dream body,
briefly afraid to return to sleep
and find that it still heats me


[three tanka on a dream of 7-17-12. Photo “Heat Waves” 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.

GOOSEBUMPS (photo) & A SINGLE SONG (dreamku series) by Roswila

A SINGLE SONG

the singles party
grows as I watch from a
balcony perch
I know I'd find it useless
to attend and accept my envy

their clear enjoyment
engages me briefly as some
climb down a blue wall
of dense spongey material
with huge graspable bumps

a man I’m all too
familiar with enters
the fun -- as always
he’s clearly on the prowl
handsome, dark, and dangerous

I want nothing but
distance from this odious
international spy
yet wind up in an office with
him and a shadowy woman

he begins to sing
a sweet ballad hoping to
seduce one of us
his voice is soft and tender
how can this be …

how can he clearly
feel the depths of the ballad
he sings, describing
the woods in which The Buddha
lives yet enjoy a brutal job

more disturbing yet
why am I moved by his singing
and struggling with sobs --
he feels my intense response
as I hastily look away

I refuse to be known as the woman
who could be bought for a song


[tanka series topped by a two-liner on a dream of 7-16-12. I’ve commented on other dreams in which I think I’ve seen animus figures. This is another one. If I recall correctly, in Jungian theory the advent of a more mature animus can sometimes be heralded in dreams by a threatening, even criminal male figure. But of course, this figure seems to be taking a long time to really arrive, as I’ve had many dreams of this sort of male over the years. Ah, well, if for no other reason I am grateful for this dream: it was truly lovely to be sung to. And I do note that this may be the first animus figure with a connection in any way to the spiritual (that song about The Buddha). So this may indicate a very slight advance, as a developed animus is said to provide an avenue to the spiritual. Photo “Goosebumps” 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.

ORCHESTRATION (photo) & TOEING THE LINE (dream tanka pair) by Roswila

TOEING THE LINE

first date and first dance
two young virtual strangers
waltz through the garage –
alone and sans music
they follow each other’s lead

the flowing shapes their
arms, legs, and arched backs create
well-placed and artful,
with barely a hitch each time
one steps on the other’s toes


[tanka pair on a dream of 7-15-12. This one was funny and sad -- in an “oh, yeah, like that ever really happens” sort of way -- even as I was dreaming it. Photo “Orchestration” 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.

ROSE OF THE IMPOSSIBLE (photo) & ON ICE (tanka dream series) by Roswila

ON ICE

my brother enters
the doorway and stands stock still
limned by back light
he holds a huge block of ice
firmly against his chest

even as I dream,
possible meanings for this
image start rising:
freezing his wild emotions?
showing me the way to do so?

a childhood memory
enters the dream: a wooden thunk
as the ice man
drops a block on our porch
for the kitchen ice box

I wake thinking of
the “The Iceman Cometh”*
and of changes
denied, as the world constantly
melts away around us


[four tanka on a dream of 7-14-12. *The reference at the end to Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” may be unsatisfying for anyone not familiar with the play. I find this sometimes when a poet quotes lines in another language with no translation, and context isn't clear enough to make the foreign language lines work for me. However, I’m leaving this reference in as just the title itself really fits the dream/ku. By the way, I did see this play many, many years ago, and was totally gripped and deeply disturbed by it. Click here to read a Wikipedia plot summary of the play. Photo “Rose of the Impossible” 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....".

* * * *

‘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 OPENING TO THE LIGHT.