BY STARLIGHT (photomorph) & THE LONG GONE STAR (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

THE LONG GONE STAR

Mama! Happy Birthday!
Yes, today would have been your 98th,
had you survived beyond your 34th
when I was only ten

Mama, I hardly knew ya

but I did know you couldn't abide jazz,
based on a poem of yours I stumbled
upon in my tumultuous teens, but what
music did you like to march to, in good
times and bad, inside yourself,
as you lived those few short years

and what did you do with that creativity
that bubbled over from you at times,
in story books you wrote, illustrated
and made for me by hand, the homes
you carefully decorated, the sometimes
wickedly fun Halloween costumes you'd
construct for yourself and Dad, did you
just keep that fountain covered, relegated
to some corner inside yourself in order to be
the sort of wife and mother you wanted to be

ah, Mama, I hardly knew ya

is this what your soul asked of you?
to birth and mother two children by
an alcoholic husband, one child now
deceased at the feet of alcoholism
himself, and the other, me, who feels
her life is a rather poor testament
to whatever sacrifices you made

yes, Mama, I hardly knew ya

try as I might to manifest that deep dream
I'm not even sure you knew you had,
that dream of yours that I only see
in brief flashes, small pieces of
a scintillating crazy quilt, an intuitive
vision that is still my long gone star

dear, Mama, I hardly knew ya


[non-dream free verse poem written 10-17-17 (on Mama's birthday). That refrain was inspired by the traditional folk song "Johnny, I hardly knew ye." Photomorph "By Starlight" (10-26-17 006v5a) 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.

* * * *

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.

GETTING A GRIP (photomorph) & AT MY BACK (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

AT MY BACK

maybe some day a warm wind
will be at my back and sail me
surely into a man's arms, but today,
right now, right here, I'll gratefully
accept these wisps of windless
sunlight across my shoulders
and down my spine, helping me
to bear this time-worn loneliness


[non-dream free verse poem written 10-27-17. Photomorph "Getting A Grip" (10-26-17 003v4) by Roswila; and, yes, it's another version of the one I posted here yesterday ... hey, I get fascinated by some pix and come back to them, again and again]

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.

* * * *

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.

BAD MOON RISING (photomorph) by Roswila

"Bad Moon Rising" (1026-17 003v6a) is all I have to offer today, i.e. no new poem or even an old one I care to re-post. I'd say the title/subject of this pic pretty much says it all. And, yes, that title is a reference to the old Creedence Clearwater Revival song of the same name (just google for lyrics). Here's a link to another version of the same pic I posted to my photo blog today ("Haunted Moon"). BTW, this above pic might be better viewed in a larger version to see the details, so just click on its image if you're interested.

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.

* * * *

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.

THIS WAY OUT (photo) & DEATH AS METAPHOR (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

DEATH AS METAPHOR

Brenda* and I are together again,
in her apartment, with several women
I'm extremely uncertain about, and a few
men who are now nothing but tremendously
problematic; she looks ill and I'm concerned
for her, as I always was at the end of her life;
another woman, though, looks to be even
closer to her final breath: that woman
reminds me too much of Farrah Fawcett*
in her last days; I return to concentrating on
Brenda, after all she's the only friend left
I'm comfortable with and she's made it
known she's leaving, that she needs to do
something important elsewhere; my concern
for her is upped: what if she collapses on
the road, how will I ever find her?
just then, the Farrah look-alike comes up
to me, her pretty blouse massively wrinkled
after what must have been days of living in it;
her smile stretches the skin of her terribly
thin face taut so that her bones stand out
almost white even in the artificial light
of the room like a death's head: a painfully
fitting symbol for all that's dying in me,
all over again


[free verse poem on a dream of 10-24-17. *Both my friend Brenda and Farrah died of cancer. Photo "This Way Out" (10-18-17 new picture as xiii) 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.

* * * *

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.

BACKBONE (photomorph) & ON DEMURRING (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

ON DEMURRING

watch me as I walk away
from you, for there, riding
the blue curve in the shadows
of my back lies both my power,
and my desire for you

for I learned long ago not to
face a man down, for only danger
has lain beneath confrontation

but rather, demurring before
I turn around and lift my face
to his, I wait for express
acceptance of what
he sees heating there,
along my back:

my power, distant and not yet
hot enough to burn but bright
enough to ignite his eyes
with the serpentine rising
of its flame


[non-dream free verse poem written 10-24-17. Photomorph "Backbone" (8-29-17 005v3) 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.

* * * *

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.

RESURGENCE (photomorph) & AT THE EDGE (dream tanka series) by Roswila

AT THE EDGE

they stand at the edge
of the long wooden pier
each hoping the other
will speak of what always draws
the two of them together like this

that magnetic aura
that holds them like a promise,
or more truly a tease
for his wife's never far off
even when out of sight

just as it appears
that for once there will be
a full body hug
between them (if limned by regret),
his wife marches right up to them

she's dressed head to toe
in sunny yellow shades, and despite
the youthful color,
this rather stocky, imposing
woman seems a bit matronly

yes, she's the underlying
force to be reckoned with, she'll not
blow over like a storm
or fade away in the bright sunlight
heating the boards of the old pier

not like this scene, though,
that fades away into a waking sadness
that I don't even get
to hold him briefly close and warm
in the easy arms of a dream


[tanka series on a dream of 10-22-17. I'm not hankering after a married man. In fact, that wife actually represents an aspect of the man I have been hankering after (both in the dream and in waking life). E.g., a way of perceiving/understanding that he's "wedded to" that makes it nigh on to impossible for us to truly connect. And no less sad or separating than if he were actually married. No shame, no blame on either of us BTW; just the reality of canyon of difference between us. I googled for the symbolism of yellow, of course. But it opened up so much (all rather positive) that I can't go into it here. Suffice it to say, this is ultimately a forward moving dream. In large part it's saying I'm recognizing who he is at very important level, and letting go of him at last and mourning. Photomorph "Resurgence" (8-15-17 003v3t) 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.

* * * *

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.