NIGHT WATCH (photo) & AN INFINITY OF GHOSTS (dream tanka series) by Roswila

AN INFINITY OF GHOSTS

the shish kabob-like
pole sticks out from the roof of
the abandoned house,
a new style of ghost catcher
that spears each haunt on approach

a squatter watches
from inside the dark attic
covering his ears
against the flapping of a
hoard of impaled ghosts

one after another
they have been speared, piling up
along its length and
dangling from the pole like
forgotten flags or laundry

the squatter quickly
takes down the pole then leaves,
freeing all the ghosts
to fly on and seek some other
echoing old house to invade

the unprotected
house stands vulnerable
again to haunting –
a huge new wave of ghosts flattens
the old building against its crest

with nothing left either
to spear or house these haunts,
momentum rolls them
rapidly along until all
disappear into infinity


[six tanka on a dream of 10-12-12. At least at one level this boils down to an object lesson: What we resist persists. Among other issues, there’s a large helping of wish fulfillment for rest from memories and their attendant emotions. Photo “Night Watch” 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.

ROUNDING IT ALL OUT (photo) & LOOSE CHANGE (tanka dream series) by Roswila

LOOSE CHANGE

the dark-skinned woman
and her ghostly young son
wander the night streets
she approaches me as I start
counting the change in my hands

she says she needs just
one quarter and a dime –
I hand her what she needs
then go back to counting coins

but not before I
note that she and her son need
shelter for the night –
with change still loose in my grasp
I let them into a meeting room

I haven’t the time
to finish the counting –
I hand her all change
and my coin purse for safekeeping
then leave for an appointment

as I shut the door
I realize she may not
be trustworthy
but her need is great and I
have more change where that came from


[five tanka on a dream of 10-11-12. Think of the “change” here as a concrete image for growth, for becoming different in small but valuable and accumulating ways. There are other, very different sorts of "coinage" in this dream, but that’s a good place to start. I also note that this is the second night in a row with a dream that has a woman with a young son (a highly meaningful image for me personally). Photo “Rounding It All 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.

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....".

* * * *

‘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.

BUBBLING TO THE SURFACE (photo) & THE LONG SWIM (dream tanka series) by Roswila

THE LONG SWIM

the wide deep lake holds
the sun in every ripple
made by a swimmer
or the occasional small
outboard motorboat

I find myself
tredding water at its center
and catching my breath,
my ultimate goal the shore
shining yet a long swim away

as if by magic
and without even a wish
I find a platform
floating in the water:
small, white, square, and stable

I clamber onto it
like some old seal seeking
a restful sunning –
from my perch I can see other
squares spread out on the lake

what thoughtful design –
to have these rest stops salted
around the wide lake
for such as I who over-
estimate our endurance


[five tanka on a dream of 10-8-12. Wish fulfillment? Encouragement? Maybe even prediction? I’ll take any or all of those. What just came to mind as I typed that sentence is something folks have said to me on occasion (and I to myself): “Give yourself a break!” Photo “Bubbling to the Surface” 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.

SHAPING UP (photo) & AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE (dreamku series) by Roswila

AT THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE

all sorts of women
some with kids, some without
wait on the long line,
it’s a Nazi regime but we
still need to stay healthy

all who come out seem
to really dislike the doctor
but we can’t be picky
we’re all impoverished
in some crucial way

and it’s dangerous
to be noticed by the regime –
so we take what’s given,
gratitude may stick in our
throats but ensures we survive

dead bodies cannot rebel our day will come


[three tanka and a monoku on a dream of 10-7-12. Of course, the real Nazi is an aspect of myself that’s agitating right now. It’s trying to stage a coup because it doesn’t like this new healthy way I’m eating and even often managing to think. There’s a lot more to this dream having to do with beginning to recognize just what I’ve always been up against -- both objectively and subjectively, and not just with food issues -- and maybe with being a little more forgiving of my complicity. At another level, this dream could be summed up “First things, first.” And that supports my continuing to struggle to eat well and improve my physical health. That closing monoku says it all. Photo “Shaping Up” 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.

SAYING GRACE (photo) & ON BRIGHTON BEACH BOARDWALK (old, non-dream poem) by Roswila

ON BRIGHTON BEACH BOARDWALK

Decades have passed since I last
traced this shoreline.
Restaurants now bear chic names
and umbrellas over their trendy outdoor
tables, where memory holds out for crowded
bars and Jewish delis opening on the boardwalk,
awash in aromas of beer and knishes.

I am startled to find the old wooden
steps down to the beach buried in the sand,
only the top curve of railing still beckoning,
a beginning that is its own ending.

The beach itself has narrowed
with the years, even as I have expanded,
both ocean and my shadow claiming
more territory, like the sand packed
beneath the boardwalk burying that dark
cave we teenagers retreated to.

That underground I played in, grasping
after the brass ring in a life spinning
rapidly out of control, as I drank too much
and necked with one guy or another
in the boardwalk’s shadows.

With one heavy sigh I accept that the cave
and its shadows have been laid to rest, slowly
and surely, gracefully and not, with the passing
of season after season.

I sit on a bench to rest my aging knees, giving
way gratefully to the immediacy of light
and heat, to this moment of clear
skies and all-embracing seas.

Sometimes it is good
to be faced with good-bye.

* * * *

[No viable dream recall from last night, which is a little surprising given I went to sleep in an upset mood. So I started wandering through really old posts to see if one might be suitable for today. I stumbled on this now 16 year old poem previously posted here in 2007. What I try to address in the poem remains as true for me as the day I first drafted it in 1996 when still living in New York City. I had participated in a Labor Day poetry reading on the boardwalk by Coney Island -- which is just a walk down the way from Brighton Beach. After the reading, I decided to stroll to Brighton Beach, not having visited it in at least 25 years. I am reposting this poem today for its reminder about good-byes, which I am sorely in need of right now. Image "Saying Grace," new photo 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.