SKY PLUMAGE (photomorph) & HEART LIKE A FEATHER (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

HEART LIKE A FEATHER

... and here's that ancient artifact I told you about,
he says, raising a golden-colored feather,
all folded in on itself, which he gently opens up
barb by flexible barb in the late afternoon light

I hold my breath as I watch the feather's
soft grace appear, and am even more
stunned to realize this is not a reproduction
but an actual feather from the lost land
of Atlantis, found in a melting glacier and
unthawing before me ... omigosh, I mutter,
could it be Maat's feather,* against which
one's heart is weighed at death

once thoroughly warmed and fully unfolded
this golden pinion reveals its modern day
incarnation: a three-legged,
dark wood, oval table

the man's pride in and affection for it is
evident as he runs his forefinger again
and again along the single line of gold
painted around the middle of the table,
maybe remembering many a game of cards
played on it, or drinks shared and spilled
in the middle of hilarity, or love letters
haltingly composed with its backing

the table's truly in great shape after all these
centuries and who knows what misadventures,
he comments, his voice hushed as if holding
back intense emotion, adding quickly that
it only has one small nick, somewhere here,
near the gilt line, as he traces his finger
'round and 'round again until he finds
the miniscule scar in the old dark wood

I'd never have noticed it amongst the many
small surface scratches this three-legged
table bears: it's survival down the centuries,
whole and open to being of service, over
and over, makes it nothing but beautiful


[free verse poem on a dream of 10-9-17. * Maat's feather: an ancient Egyptian Goddess of Truth & Justice, Maat weighed the deceased's heart against her feather and woe to the soul of the heart that was heavier. This dream/poem's going to take a lot of thinking/feeling about -- many levels going on here. But my immediate impression on finishing this writing is that it's mostly a wish fulfillment dream, with a heavy dose of intuitive awareness of an actual other person in my life tossed in. BTW, this three-legged table was the same one I saw in my recent dream/poem Like A Stone. Though in that dream I had not been aware that the table was three-legged, I recognized it in this dream as I was dreaming. It will be interesting to see what the connections are between these two dream/poems. Right now I'm struck by the intense contrast between a stone and a feather. Photomorph "Sky Plumage" (5-26-10 10003v3a) 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.