CONSTELLATING (photo) & COUP DE GRACE (dreamku series) by Roswila

COUP DE GRACE

their assignation's
set for an old railroad car --
an open secret
among cheating married folk
it weights the new night

she walks down the aisle
wondering about privacy
(the sun's not long set
and already the car's filling
with married folk and their lovers)

not to mention lack
of room -- but she supposes free
and hidden away
count for a great deal among
those avoiding their spouses

her married lover's
rather late so she wanders
outside to stargaze
why is she, a single woman,
even getting into this?

the cooling night air feels like a caress
on her bare breasts -- her lover arrives

plans have changed, it seems,
and he can't even drive her
to her home right now,
he'll have to return for her
sometime later in the night

ah well, whether this
is his gentle way of backing
out or not, she now
finds her own mind made up,
and wraps her arms around herself

she won't mind waiting for her ride
while this night dips and tosses up stars

the coup de grace? one starless shape against
the sky: the empty silhouette of the railroad car


[several tanka with three two-lines on a dream of 7-12-13. Although I've never been involved with a married man I have been entangled with men who were unavailable in other ways (such as emotionally). What I find intriguing here is that my way home is via what got me to this place to begin with. Also, that I can't go home right away. Almost as if I really need to get the message of the dream first. I should also stress that at one level, this dream also addresses any sort of relationship (e.g. friendships, on-the-job, familial, etc.). Like abandoned railroad cars, many just can't go anywhere. And it seems that, for now, I'm having to wait outside all of this before finding my way home again. Thank heavens for the stars! (In part, a metaphor for imagination.) Photo "Constellating" 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 relate to 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.

Also please note that a dreamku is not intended as an interpretation of a dream, or even a complete and accurate rendering of one. A dreamku is my attempt to get down dream imagery/action that grabs me and, as I write about it, elicits my conscious written association and response. Nor do I believe that one has to remember dreams in order for them to do their work. In my understanding, we are much more than our conscious selves.

You may also note in any further reading on dreamku you may do, that in the beginning I stressed "showing, not telling." However, that has been changing for some time now. I now tend to "show" (the dream narrative) and cap if off with a "tell" (some reaction and/or insight I've had to the dream as I was writing about it).

For more in-depth exploration:

-- very brief comparison of dreamku and haiku: DREAMKU ARE NOT HAIKU

-- 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 short 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.