SEEDS OF MEMORY (photomorph) & CHASING AFTER (mixed format dream poem) by Roswila

CHASING AFTER

more chasing after
a passel of forgotten dreams --
can one hold on to
the woman by the scent she trails?
the man by his after shave?

but maybe I don't want to recall or the dreams
themselves simply took their shot at freedom

who wants to be pinned down
a butterfly in amber


[a tanka, with two two-liners on the lack of dream recall for the night of 12-26-14. Photomorph "Seeds of Memory" (2-19-10 19955ev4) by Roswila]

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO DREAMKU (& PHOTOS):

But first, a request: please let me know of any typos or other sorts of blunders in my posts. As my eyes age I'm finding more mistakes are creeping into what I put up here no matter how many times I proof it all. Thanks for any help!

The dream-based poems posted on this blog -- dreamku, tanka, two-liners, monoku, free verse, dream narratives -- 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. (This all applies to any of the non-dream poems posted here, too.)

Also please note that a dream poem or narrative 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. I now tend to "show" (the dream story) 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 also pretty much applies to my free verse dream poems as well. As to what I have begun calling dream narratives, they are a different animal, probably most akin to prose poems.

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.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO OMPHALOS (photo) & THE TWO MARYS (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

THE TWO MARYS

her Mary poems, like all her writing,
shine as much for their craft as content
while her experience and persistence
call the saintly Mary of religion to task
as if she were an ordinary woman

as if hours had been spent
on an analyst's couch outing shadows
and complexes, lining them up in poem
after poem like young children
being lovingly scolded, who ultimately
get patted on their butts, and sent
back to their games

while my own poems about Mary
lay claim only to being deeply felt
and honestly come by, their craft
a bit wobbly and thin,
their self-consciousness hard to bear,
their numbers thankfully fewer

each flawed child of mine crying alone
in the middle of its stark white page,
clearly mourning the early death
of my mother, Mary

a few of these orphaned poems
wend their lonely ways through
loss and grief in unexceptional images
to a closure of sorts,
that like poorly sealed packages
only break open again, to spill their pain
into subsequent poems

I am both honored and scared
when the other poet suggests
that our Marys together would make
a whole book, a complete
and satisfying read

how can my poems of on-going grief,
crafted by this wannabe poet,
carry their fair share of the load?
might they not sink any book they're in
like a silk purse filled with stones

but maybe its time I release my poems
and my thoughts about them,
let them drop into the unknown that lies
beneath all surfaces, let them slip
like that weight I fear they are
into the unplumbed deeps


[free verse poem on a dream of 12-25-14. My mother Mary died when I was ten. In the dream I saw some of the actual poems I have written about her and even began organizing them for the book suggested by that other poet in the dream. I'm not surprised letting go of writing is the metaphor this dream chose. I spent hours last night going through very old poems of mine, deciding which to continue to work on and which to finally lay to rest with the delete button. And I actually managed to delete quite a few from an over-crowded "to be worked on" folder. It hit me last night that there's only so much work one can do on anything, before it becomes painfully counter-productive. The problem then being how to identify when that point of too much working on has been reached. With those actual poems -- and this might very well apply in other ways, as in this dream -- the decision point was a gut feeling. A sense that taking the risk to let go would be worth it. Photo "All Roads Lead to Omphalos" (12-23-14 008) by Roswila]

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.

* * * *

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.

OOOPS! MISSED THE CHIMNEY (photo) & "Santa Claus and I..." (dream tanka) by Roswila

Santa Claus and I
walk in a trail of footprints
that suddenly end
in the curving snowy path --
we go on and make our own


[tanka on a dream written and posted in 2008. It's been slightly tweaked today to improve the writing. Photo "Oops! Missed the Chimney" (12-19-14 001v4a) by Roswila. This is a "found photo." I.e., I did not pose Santa there. He and a slew of dopplegangers have popped up in fun places in our gardens.]

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO DREAMKU (& PHOTOS):

But first, a request: please let me know of any typos or other sorts of blunders in my posts. As my eyes age I'm finding more mistakes are creeping into what I put up here no matter how many times I proof it all. Thanks for any help!

The dream-based poems posted on this blog -- dreamku, tanka, two-liners, monoku, free verse, dream narratives -- 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. (This all applies to any of the non-dream poems posted here, too.)

Also please note that a dream poem or narrative 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. I now tend to "show" (the dream story) 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 also pretty much applies to my free verse dream poems as well. As to what I have begun calling dream narratives, they are a different animal, probably most akin to prose poems.

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.

FIRE FINGERS (photomorph) & THE LOOSEY-GOOSEY FIRE (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

THE LOOSEY-GOOSEY FIRE

my friend stands up to speak
to the meeting of folk overflowing
this white wood community house

her question is off the point
of the discussion but intriguing
and definitely not run-of-the-mill

the meeting leader cuts her off rudely,
tersely noting that the question
is off topic, and then reiterates
the discussion theme as if my friend
had not been able to grasp it

I'm royally p.o.'d! just a wee bit
of tact would have gone a long way,
or better yet, first briefly addressing
what my creative friend was raising
and then guiding the conversation back
on its conservative track

I jump to my feet fulminating
"I've had it! I'll not stand for this
one second more!" and rush out
wrestling my way through the crowd
of seated and silent attendees

the exit area's even more crowded
with the fringe folk of the community,
bikers in their black leather,
lounging every which way
unnecessarily further telegraphing
their disregard for all rules

they take obvious and discomfiting
note of me as I squeeze awkwardly
through them to get away
from this gathering

and my anger's usurped, lifted off
like the lid from an over boiling
pot of stew:

have all I done is jump
from the constricting frying pan
into the loosey-goosey fire?


[free verse poem on a dream of 12-23-14. And, yes, I have been able to see for some time that there's a third option. And "see" is the operative word in that sentence. Or rather, an unattached perception (as distinct from belief). However, these oppositions are deeply ingrained and very sticky (another belief :-D). Photomorph "Fire Fingers" (12-23-14 012v6c) by Roswila. And last, but certainly not least, MERRY CHRISTMAS! BLESSED YULE! JOYFUL KWANZA!]

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.

* * * *

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.

DANCING WITH THE LIGHT (photomorph) & FRIED BEANS FOR BREAKFAST (mixed format dream poem) by Roswila

FRIED BEANS FOR BREAKFAST

fried beans for breakfast!
as surprising as the folk dance
that goes with the dish
and that I'm the one showing
off the skirt swirling moves

it feels good to lift
the long ruffled white flounces
in wide graceful arcs,
following the vibrant beat
of an Hispanic song

no pasodoble* this, but a dance of friendship
celebrating another day of embodiment


[two tanka capped by a two-liner on a dream of 12-22-14. *Pasodoble: traditional dance based on bull fighting moves. This is largely a prodromal dream (a message from one's body). It moves from advice on diet and exercise, to suggesting a change of relationship to my body (and life as a whole). This dream is a major Christmas gift of hope. Photomorph "Dancing With the Light" (11-26-14 001v2b) by Roswila]

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO DREAMKU (& PHOTOS):

But first, a request: please let me know of any typos or other sorts of blunders in my posts. As my eyes age I'm finding more mistakes are creeping into what I put up here no matter how many times I proof it all. Thanks for any help!

The dream-based poems posted on this blog -- dreamku, tanka, two-liners, monoku, free verse, dream narratives -- 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. (This all applies to any of the non-dream poems posted here, too.)

Also please note that a dream poem or narrative 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. I now tend to "show" (the dream story) 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 also pretty much applies to my free verse dream poems as well. As to what I have begun calling dream narratives, they are a different animal, probably most akin to prose poems.

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.

THE PLANS COLLAPSE (photomorph) & THE RULES (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

THE RULES

the urge to say something
about that dream from last night
hangs around like a hunger
in my stomach for food I can't have

like those chocolate candies
forever now beyond my reach
but only through a matter of will
not money or propinquity
(especially this time of year
with boxes of chocolates
in varied shapes and fillings
left in our community's public spaces)

and those sweet and oh so passing
delights remain no more available
to me than the leavings
of that dream I can almost see

maybe not so sweet
nay even a little creepy
around its wispy edges
but I recall being told we'd succeeded
in collaborating on a plan for a new home
from blank page to living diagram

and here's a briefly satisfying
if vaguely scary indulgence:
the blueprint (white lines on black
in the dream that keeps running
away from me ... or I from it?) shimmers
with the figure of a man

I think of Slenderman* and shiver,
then of a golem ... I'd much prefer
a golem, one of those clay
human-shaped creatures
from Discworld**

at least a Discworld golem
has a list of rules that govern its
behavior inside its earthen head

and I'm good at ferreting out
the rules, no matter where
or how deeply buried


[free verse poem on a dream of 12-21-14. *Slenderman. **Discworld golems. Phew! For barely a fragment of the dream, that "blueprint" has generated a slew of intense associations. Though none of this is without a certain humor to it. The Discworld series of books are by the past master of satirical fantasy humor, Terry Pratchett. In fact, humor may be the ultimate point to the dream. I.e., that I not lose my sense of humor. Which is, to me, a great way to maintain perspective. Photomorph "The Plans Collapse" (12-20-14 010v3) by Roswila]

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.

* * * *

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.

REFLECTIVE (photo) & "sorrow and pain..." (non-dream monoku) by Roswila

sorrow and pain limn the moment a Greek Chorus

* * * *

The above is a non-dream monoku written 10-12-14, dedicated today in memory of the first friend I made when I moved here to California in 2008, who died a couple days ago. Though Ginny had had to move back east into an assisted living facility a few years ago, we managed for a while to stay in good touch. I will treasure the collection I have of books of her poetry, along with the memories. And here's one of her poems that appeared in our community's 2009 poetry anthology "Refined by Tide and Sand":

WHAT I WANTED
by Ginny Wells

I wanted life to be intense
Beautiful as growing grass in spring
Melodic as the dancing birds
Romantic as a moonlight rendezvous.
I wanted to love and be loved
By trees, wind, stars, God
And by some good companion,
Some earthly Other.
I wanted life to be a poem
Blowing through me
In all its vibrancy
Distilled
Well-spoken
Complete.

Photo "Reflective" (12-7-14 004v3) & Monoku at top by Roswila.

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.

* * * *

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.