NIGHT OF THE ELEPHANT (photomorph) & GIVING THE ELEPHANT A HAND (dream narrative) by Roswila

GIVING THE ELEPHANT A HAND

the elephant continues its natural slow
morphing into a human being

in response to its wish to move
the lengthy process along, a human right
hand's been grafted in place of a front foot

but there seems to be a problem
with the graft: a small portion
of the incision may not be healing
quite as it should

now nearly fully human
the elephant extends the underside
of its right wrist for careful examination

"This is not at all unusual
when there are a great many
big, on-going changes," they say,

"...this inevitable swelling
beneath the tender new skin
is actually a protective process
and will subside soon enough."


[narrative on a dream of 5-25-15. This was partly prodromal (a dream message from one's body) as when I woke I had pain in my right wrist. I'd been sleeping on it oddly. In this instance, I think the hand graft image was the dream's way of incorporating the pain so that I could stay asleep. As opposed to the health message prodromal dreams usually offer. But beyond that and my actual changing body size/shape as I continue to lose weight and exercise, it's a multi-level dream. Such as the wish someone would/could "give me a hand," as in giving help, and wanting to be able to "get a better grip" on things. Also, wanting credit for this tremendous (elephantine) effort, but at this point from myself more than others. Additional issues are touched upon in this dream, but I'll leave it at these. Photomorph "Night of the Elephant" (7-23-09 4124v4) 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....".

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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.