RETURN TO THE SEA (photo art) & MODERN ETUDE (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

MODERN ETUDE

she's been told she should show
her feelings as she plays the piano
it's not been her wont before,
her face and posture like the unstirred
surface of a lake as she would let
the music speak for itself

but her desire to please rises above
this natural inclination as she debuts
a lively modern etude, her face and limbs
as animated as a three-ring circus,
pride at this new performance skill
radiating with each key stroke

I look down irritated, I much prefer
to have my own reactions
to a piece, and in my own time,
though sympathy stirs for this young
pianist who's just trying to learn
about the craft of performance

but what's wrong with the piano?
is one key badly out of tune?
one note sounds more like a player
piano, sharp and hollow,
and trills far more than fits
the overall timbre of the music

this may be a modern etude
but it's almost painful to listen to,
yet I hang in and stare at a swirling
knothole in a floor board,
releasing the habit of critique
to tumble awkwardly along
through uncharted musical waters


[free verse poem on a dream of 10-3-13. Photo "Return to the Sea" (9-12-13) by Roswila]

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO DREAMKU (& PHOTOS): The dream-based poems posted on this blog -- dreamku, tanka, two-liners, monoku, free verse, etc. -- 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 dream poem is not intended as an interpretation of a dream, or even a complete and accurate rendering of one. It 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 (the specific forms of dreamku, tanka, two-liners and monoku) you may do here, that in the beginning I stressed "showing, not telling." However, this 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). This pretty much applies to free verse dream poems as well.

For more in-depth exploration of the dreamku forms specifically (and one post in which I also address my photo choices):

-- 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.