MOONRISE (photo) & THE OLDEST GUNSLINGERS' CONVENTION (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

THE OLDEST GUNSLINGERS' CONVENTION

The first ever Oldest Gunslingers' Convention
begins to shape up in a small rustic western-
style section of the city, a much ballyhooed
gathering for aging actors who starred as gun-
fighters in movies in years long past.

I stand in the doorway of a replica old-time
saloon that's really an alcohol free restaurant
and watch the first gunslinger/actors arrive
in greater numbers than anticipated.

They're each dressed according to a role they'd
once been famous for and quietly chat among
themselves, many as familiar to me as old friends
and most still quite pleasing to my old lady's eye.

Then a second wave of attendees arrives, all
sauntering casually down the middle of the dusty
street, cowboy boots and spurs tossing up clouds
as they amble, these men even older but no less
lively than the first group of 'slingers.

And I personally know two of these second-wave
actors. One blonde, sun-wrinkled, and the oldest
yet to arrive says "Just wait 'til you see how many
more of us are coming down that road a piece."

The thick British accent of the other dark-haired
gunslinger's as charming as I remember, but I
don't call upon either of these long ago connections
worried I'll be seen as a celebrity hunter.

The night settles in as does the crowd of actors
networking with each other and casting directors
in the saloon, and giving autographs. I suddenly
crave air and space and head out for a walk down
the distant city sidewalks.

Here I relax, alone under a rising full moon, with
the tall building silhouettes affording only a slim
glance back at the replica western town. I pull
the long green sleeves of my sweater down over
my forearms against the evening cool. Aging actors
wearing their old roles fondly and ever so well may
draw one in but too soon make for an uneasy fit.


[free verse poem on a dream of 8-15-13. Not surprised to see a full moon in a dream; it's full here on the 20th, just a few days away. Which, of course, explains why I've had to file back these fangs. Though I must say I've done better so far than usual with my Pre-Moon Syndrome. Maybe distancing myself from my gunfighter mode by relating to it as something out of the past and only as relevant as I let it be, is helpful, too. However, I don't want to reduce this dream to a suggestion of how to deal with my Pre-Moon Syndrome. It's far more than that and too much to go into here. Photo "Moonrise" 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 connections & other blogs: Charter Member of the United Haiku and Tanka Society (UHTS); ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.