REFLECTIONS IN A GLASS BEAD (photomorph) & QUESTIONING MY FATHER (mixed format dream poem) by Roswila

QUESTIONING MY FATHER

so, why are you here
in this dream at all tonight,
fellow traveler?

you don't want to help
plan our trip at all, just to hang
around the edges
as I fuss and fume and rush
to get it all done in time

which is truly OK,
just really not your usual style,
you, the subtle critic,
but not even a dark raised
eyebrow from you as I plan

then, not one response
to my many questions about how
to file memories
of our trip, especially in what order:
new to old, or old to new

and just what do you
think of the photos I've chosen
for each happening?
it's like you're here but somehow
not really present at all

and now any further questions cut off
by the advent of this twisted necklace,

as I work carefully to untangle its delicate
long string of tiny iridescent sea blue beads

that hangs around my neck
forcing me to stop looking to you


[a dreamku, four tanka, and three two-liners on a dream of 9-18-15. Photomorph "Reflections in a Glass Bead" (6-15-15 001v5ga) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.

MAGIC CAULDRON (photomorph) & THE COSMIC CONSTANTS (short short dream story) by Roswila

THE COSMIC CONSTANTS

"You must, whether you wish to or not," says the Old Queen, "all my power has waned and now rises fully in you."

With obvious reluctance and deep sadness, the Nascent Queen does as she's commanded. She casts the huge spell, her face becoming a dark, tear-streaked mask of power, with an empty triangle where her nose would be. Her face instantly returning to it's youthful beauty as the spell settles down to do its work in the world at large.

"And now you will marry the King," asserts the Old Queen, echoes of her own power vibrating like wind in bare branches. "No, not the Old King, the new one who just ascended to the throne. And he's demanding your hand immediately so that your powers can merge, strengthening and protecting our land once more."

Looking around as if there might be a way out of this thorny pickle, the Nascent Queen walks off on the Old Queen, to wander beyond the castle. "Is there no end to strife," she thinks as her feet and magic staff break through the earth's crust with every step as if it were thin ice. Sighing she realizes that, yes, the earth does need a bit of magicking and that she can fix this little problem on her own. She casts a quick spell, the earth firming up beneath her feet. Yet her staff still breaks through whenever she leans on it. And lean on it she must in order to walk this land.

"Ah, you've learned one of the cosmic constants," says a merry male voice behind her. She turns and faces the approaching High Sorcerer of the Realm. "A Queen's staff can and will break through any spell" says he. "And, yes, though you are not quite yet our Queen, your staff is already empowered in order to get you safely to the throne."

He steps closer to her, leading with his own burled and twisting staff. "Now, despite your childish resistance, my dear, listen carefully to this second cosmic constant: Even here in this land of spells and potions, some things are what they are and will be what they will be, no matter how we wish or work to make them other. So as is said in one of the mundane worlds, 'buck up,' my Nascent Queen, and embrace who you are and who you are becoming."


[short short story based on a dream of 9-17-15. I laughed out loud when I recalled that noseless image. Hey, she doesn't have a nose to get out of joint for a change! :-) Photomorph "Magic Cauldron" (8-18-15 005v8a) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.

AT THE CROSSING (photomorph) & A WONDROUS SIGHT (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

A WONDROUS SIGHT

my friend drags me in an excited whirl
to the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake,
her face beaming in the bright light
of this glorious spring day that waves
new greenery like banners in the breezes

she whispers urgently, do you see it?
across the lake, there, in the cliff
on the other side? the alligator?

it's obvious by my reaction that I don't,
and she burbles in her desire
for me to do so, declaring that it's huge,
running the entire length
of the cliff on the other side, right
above the mirror of the lake

then I do, and what a view!
it looks so real, I say, and so huge
that if it were an ancient fossil
it would give a good accounting
of itself next to a t-rex, nay,
out shadow that famous dinosaur

my friend quickly responds that it is
an actual fossilized 'gator,
shining out of the rocks,
bared at last by the slow
fingers of the alternating seasons

I choke off a disbelieving laugh
for I don't want to disrupt her happy wonder
at this giant accident of natural weathering,
after all it's still a wondrous sight,
this cliff side that teases our eyes,
masquerading as a behemoth of a 'gator

as I rummage in my shoulder bag
for my camera, I hope I can find an angle
for a shot in which those tall dark trees
on the lake's center island don't appear
to pierce the chalk white
belly of this sleeping 'gator


[free verse poem on a dream of 9-16-15. I Googled alligator symbolism and in a wealth of interesting things to think about, found this quote: "New vision is created when we draw on Old Ways" (a Seminole saying). I'll have to leave it at that as this is one of those jam-packed dreams that will reveal itself as it will, layer by layer. I should add that I watched the PBS show "Dawn of Humanity" last night, about finding the fossilized bones of a heretofore unknown human ancestor. On another topic altogether (but maybe not totally unconnected to the dream), today would have been my deceased brother's birthday. Does one wish the departed a happy birthday? Odd to say, but I do. Photomorph "At the Crossing" (1-17-15 010v10d) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.

TIME'S IMPRINT (photomorph) & THE NEWBIE DOCENT'S FIRST DAY (dream narrative) by Roswila

THE NEWBIE DOCENT'S FIRST DAY

one --

she's excited to learn
they've found a striking way to display
that unknown artist's construction project;
not as the medieval castle
she'd seen in its profusion
of small pieces, but as an ancient
Chinese village with its vine
covered water tower:
"One can always look at things
some other way"


two --

even that old boss of hers
who treated her so shabbily deserves
to have his work up here, she supposes,
so she'll send him an email and let
him know his intriguing drawings
are up in a special exhibit:
"Give credit where credit is due"


three --

... and where are those abstract paintings
she took such care with as she helped
carefully arrange them, you know,
those by her friends? well, the walls are bare
now where they were; ah, she recalls,
that's right, they were never intended to be
part of this museum's permanent collection,
even "permanent'" being a misnomer:
"Everything changes"


[dream narrative on a dream of 9-15-15. Photomorph "Time's Imprint" (4-29-12 11819ev5a) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.

THE CROWN OF THE KING (photomorph) & THE STACK OF CARDS (mixed format dream poem) by Roswila

THE STACK OF CARDS

ah, yes! all four Kings
neatly lined up and spaced
across the table,
when a Queen shows up right after
she thinks: too soon, way too soon

the Kings should simmer
alone for a while longer,
time is not yet ripe
to seek more clarity and order
despite inevitable chaos

she stops her turning
over of cards and resumes
unfocused musing,
the stack of cards heating
slowly in her open palm

as her fingers itch mightily to flip cards,
she begins to laugh at this illusion of control

for wait or jump right back in, she cannot know
how it will all work out until the last card's played


[three tanka capped by two two-liners on a dream of 9-14-15. Photomorph "The Crown of the King" (9-23-12 12150v7b) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.

HEART'S CRADLE (photomorph) & THE PUPPY (mixed format dream poem) by Roswila

THE PUPPY

omigosh! a puppy,
a really young one, but I
certainly couldn't
tell by its size, it's bigger
than many an adult dog

it can barely keep
its round grey head steady
to look toward me
as I carefully pick it up
then cradle it against my chest

I have no milk to offer this sweet creature but
maybe it will be nurtured by my heartbeat


[two tanka capped by a two-liner on a dream of 9-13-15. Photomorph "Heart's Cradle" (9-2-09 6432ev3a) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.

SEA OF ILLUSION (photomorph) & COHORTS OF THE SUN (free verse poem) by Roswila

COHORTS OF THE SUN

the tide's cresting on a backward
swing these days, intense daytime
recall of people floating up from the deep
ocean of the long gone and facing
me as if sugar wouldn't melt in their mouths
while later, the dreams that people
the night plummet like lead sinkers
leaving no imprint on
the sea's turbulent surface;
of the two, give me the dreams
any day (rather, any night)
at least I can make poetry (of a sort)
from them; it's true the dreams no longer
look or feel the same in daylight
as they did at night, still
there's a pleasure in them all,
even the painful ones dancing
like Zorba the Greek
on the beach of the page;
but these harsh daytime memories,
bah! how I wish that poems would crest
readily with their rise as they do with dreams,
making these messy cohorts of the sun
more amenable to the music of change


[free verse poem inspired by a recent decrease in dream recall and increase in waking, old memories, written 9-13-15. Photomorph "Sea of Illusion" (8-18-15 004v5f) 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; TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT; and THE MARKER TAROT.