RIDING THE TIGER (photo art) & LOVE SONG (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

LOVE SONG

out for a walk, my friend and I
stumble across a crowd of young men
singing in perfect unison,
punctuating high notes
with huge red felt claws
waved above their heads

I turn to my fellow traveler astonished:
"Have I been living under a rock?
I've never heard this song before!"

we nod in agreement that most songs
gone viral hit the evening news
but not this odd love song
with its surprisingly lovely melody
and most tuneful phrase of all
sung softly and slowly
on the ultimate line:

"Durga give me nothing at all
if not all"

[free verse poem based on a dream of 10-27-13. Durga is a Hindu Goddess. Here's an image of Her:

Durga is often depicted accompanied by or sitting/riding on a tiger. I was initially drawn to Her decades back when I became aware that the tiger (or more specifically, the Siberian tiger) could be considered one of my "power animals." She also visually echoes the common image on The Strength card of the Tarot:

I make no claims to originality in that last line of the poem (straight from the dream). It's clearly my dreaming brain's re-working of the famous song line/title "All or nothing at all..." I might claim the melody, though, if I could recall it. I did actually hear it in the dream. Though I can't be sure it was original either, since I have only a gut feeling on waking to say that it was. And also that I have composed little melodies in my dreams before. Photo art "Riding the Tiger" (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....".

* * * *

‘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.