AT THE EDGE (photo) & DARE I SAY (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

DARE I SAY

no, the question you keep turning
your back on is not the unanswerable,
dare I say, old chestnut: "What is it to die"

the unspeakable query you expel
all knowledge of on each exhale
like a noxious pearl, rusts
on and on, an iron nail
through the underground
of being: "Am I fully alive"


[non-dream poem written 6-15-14. This was clearly influenced by an anthology of poems I've just finished reading, DEATH POEMS (Russ Kick, Editor; Disinformation Books of RedWheel/Weiser). 320 poems from ancient to modern times, looking at death from as many different angles (at least) as there are poems in the book. Not as weird or depressing as it might sound, not at all. And it was wonderful to read old favorites and classics, as well as to discover some writers for whom I'm going to Google more of their work. But mostly, as almost always happens when I immerse myself in others' writing, it was delightful to be inspired to write myself. Funny thing is, I had stopped reading the book last night to draft this poem. And when I went back to reading, the next section was sub-titled "...the poets beseech us to live before we die." Guess I'd gotten the editor's drift. :-) Photo "At the Edge" (6-1-14 002v4) by Roswila. It was synchronistic that during the time I was reading this anthology, a friend bought a plastic swan for our retirement community's pool. Which immediately called to mind Rainer Maria Rilke's famous poem about death, The Swan.]

PLEASE NOTE: in most browsers you can click on the above image for a larger version. Also, the photo accompanying a post is not necessarily meant to illustrate it, but to reflect some small, even slant aspect of the verse, similar to Japanese haiga (illustrated haiku).

There are many other sorts of posts on this blog. I indicate which are about or influenced by dreams. Some non dream focused posts are book reviews, "regular" poems (some by other writers, as the above is), scifaiku, writing exercises, Tarot haiku, photos, haiga, and so on. However, most of those are in much older posts. There's a listing by month going back to early 2006, at the end of the sidebar.

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until next time, keep dreaming,

[a/k/a Patricia Kelly]
**** 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.