GET THE MESSAGE? (photo) & THE MORE THINGS CHANGE (mixed format dream poem) by Roswila

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE

a woman tells her
that the top she's wearing is known
to be dangerous
that it can be seen right through
and reveals too much cleavage

the young woman
defends her choice of clothing
saying patiently
that's why she wears it over
its matching purple tank top

the accusing woman
keeps insisting that it's unsafe
as it's not labeled
"CAUTION" somewhere clearly
as recent law requires it to be

'til now I've only been listening
but can no longer stay out of it

I stridently defend the wearing of the purple outfit
adding that far more danger's risked any day at UCSB*

and that no matter how a woman looks
it's still up to a man to control what he does

a long time woman friend and I literally
bump into each other as we leave the scene

"Seems like old times, ey?" she comments, and I respond
"Yes, the more things change, the more they stay the same."


[three tanka and five two-liners on a dream of 10-19-16. *UCSB = University of California at Santa Barbara, which is only a walk from where I live. And I'm often a little aghast at how the young women (kinda, sorta) dress. Even as I recall how I used to scandalize my father with how I was dressed to go out dancing when I was a teenager. However, I'm sure this dream was precipitated by having watched the third Presidential debate last night and having to tolerate Trump. Which re-emphasized the flotsam and jetsam I've been struggling with for some time now from the sexual abuses I suffered in childhood through to my late teens. I've done a tremendous amount of healing over the years, but I'm still faced with the scars and bits of wreckage from it all every so often. Including that sense -- untrue, but there nevertheless -- that I was somehow responsible. Photo "Get the Message?" 10-11-16 020v2) 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), 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 other blog (dedicated to her photos only, i.e. no poetry or other writing; daily post); TRYING TO HOLD A BOX OF LIGHT.