ECHOES OF WINTER (photo) & SEWARD'S FOLLY (dreamku series) by Roswila

SEWARD’S FOLLY

the fat man’s belly
perfectly fits and warms
the curve of my back,
what rises below answered
in me with a stirring

he backs off too soon,
before the fire’s fully stoked
and consuming all
my attractions to other
men in these Alaskan wilds

he pouts and postures,
his expectation that we
should be together
now stronger than his desire
to just go for what he wants

ignoring all his
strident background posturing
I start chatting with
others, curious about life
in this beautiful cold country

I tell these tough folk
how I watched my mother
talk herself to death
with “shoulds” and I won’t make
the same deadly mistake

these folk, too, though
burst with expectations, “shoulds’
that make me feel sad –
maybe I will stay here and
maybe I’ll decide to move on

but go or stay, work or go to school again
it’ll simply be because it’s what I want


[six tanka and a two-liner on a dream of 9-21-12. That mother is an all too familiar aspect of myself and the "I" voice a newer one. Though I do wonder how much "shoulds" may have contributed to my own mother's death when I was ten. Even as a very young woman I would think that she must have been living (at the least) a somewhat conflicted life. Extremely simply put, she was a mathematician and artist, who was keeping house and raising two kids. Of course now I wonder if in not wanting to repeat what I perceived to be her mistake, I simply made a different set of entrapping "shoulds" for myself. This dream (in part) is the start of a thoughtful examination of this issue. A sort of cautionary tale. Photo “Echoes of Winter” 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 TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? (photo) & THE STING (dreamku series) by Roswila

THE STING

it’s amazing I
can even see to find her
in this dingy bar
but she asked to meet here
and there’s no mistaking her voice

through the haze it looks
like my dear friend’s about to be
put under arrest
I’m even more aghast when
I learn she’s part of a sting

if she succeeds she’ll
help catch a notorious
and dangerous thug
I approach and hug her imploring
“Please, oh please be careful, please!”

this cry from an ancient fear the dread of loss


[three tanka and a monoku on a dream of 9-20-12. Interesting, the sense of hearing is referenced here. As I thought on that I began to think that somehow hearing may be even more primal than sight. Hearing probably comes in for an infant before reliance on vision, maybe even in the womb. In any case, this thinking eventually took me to what are probably the underpinnings of this dream. I’ll leave it at that. Photo “Can You Hear Me Now?” 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 TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.

CHECKS & BALANCES (photo) & TOUCHING (dreamku series) by Roswila

TOUCHING

handsome Joey’s touch persuades me
where his words had just raised doubt

I love exploring
his large muscular body
as we have hot sex

he also knows his
goals, going for them with neither force
nor flicker of hesitation

unlike this other,
this male boss who’s clearly
not worthy of trust
nor is he even upfront about
his most immediate aims

sexual coercion
heavily laces his
orders that I
balance the checks right now
and on first try each time

I acknowledge my
short-comings as a worker
-- a prior boss had
said the same of me -- but ignore
his sexual innuendos

I’m deeply saddened where’s Joey and his forthright touch


[a two-liner, two dreamku, three tanka, and a monoku on a dream of 4-16-12. What little recall I have from last night is extremely vague. This one is a 5 month old dreamku not posted here yet; not sure why I decided to post it today. Maybe it’s the sadness and that lack of honest connection (which is as much about feeling disconnected from myself as from anyone else). The “Joey” in the dream was the character on the old T.V. sitcom “Friends;” a somewhat dim bulb but sexy and essentially very sweet and caring. Photo “Checks & Balances” 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 TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.

A SKEWED VIEW (photo) & LAUNDRY LIST (dream tanka series) by Roswila

LAUNDRY LIST

who stole my black shoes?
did the thief come up the subway stairs
I’d left them near?

and why are they all
saying the visiting Pope
had an affair?
and why am I so afraid
to challenge the group’s gossip?

and why did I let her
just move this scuzzy charmer
into my private space?
can’t she see the piles of
dirty laundry he’s hauled with him?


[three tanka on several dreams of 9-17-12. Hm, interesting that the first dream image is about shoes (black in this case probably references something new). Seems my footing is not as sure as it was last night and the storm has arrived. But at least I’m questioning things, not just being inundated. And maybe it will pass quickly as last night’s dream forecast. Photo “A Skewed View” 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 TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.

ROLLIN' ON (photo) & FEAST ONE (five dream tanka) by Roswila

FEAST ONE

the narrow mountain
road turns constantly, a cliff
yawning on the left –
the long view is spectacular,
down into the lush wide valley

on foot, I complete
every tight turn listing like a
rushing vehicle –
a small storm rolls into view
in the achingly blue sky

a fellow hiker
announces it’s the type that will
pass in three minutes,
but that we should still leave the edge
for less precarious ground

I clamber up the
crumbly golden embankment
on the road’s right side
I’ve never managed this sort
of challenging ascent before

there’s a restaurant
very near, I’m told – I scurry
toward shelter and food
the storm wind has my back …
ah, the restaurant’s named “Feast One”


[five tanka on a dream of 9-16-12. The last two lines of the fourth tanka indicate a mildly lucid dream moment. I recalled in this dream, the many crumbly cliffs I’ve tried to climb in other dreams, unsuccessfully. The difference here seemed to be that I could actually get and keep a footing each step of the way. Actually, that last sentence I just typed here may point to the heart of this dream. But I don’t feel like re-writing so will let it stand as is. And only add that the reference to a restaurant makes this the eighth night in a row in which a dream has addressed food. Oh, and yes, I do mean to imply at the end that the storm wind is helpful. Photo “Rollin’ On” 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 TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.

NO WAY OUT (photo) & THE KIDNAP KING (three dream tanka) by Roswila

THE KIDNAP KING

a king in ancient
Irish times wages constant war
he sends the young son
he stole from a vanquished foe
to declare each new war

yet each new enemy
knows not to kill this messenger
this terrorized boy
forced to speak both content
and a language not his own

and so each time they
send him back to the kidnap king’s camp,
the only home he knows,
where he awaits the next words
of war to be put in his mouth


[three tanka on a dream of 9-15-12. Hoo-kay! No idea, not really, though some vague idea that the king and the boy are really two aspects of one self. Oh, and I did have a food dream, too, last night, making it the seventh night in a row. Though it was extremely vague with something about someone offering help I didn’t want or need. This dream/ku above had much more “meat” (if you’ll pardon the food pun) and impact. And it sort of vaguely trails along after yesterday’s samurai warrior image. Photo “No Way Out” 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 TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.