CONVOLUTED LURE (photomorph) & FISHING (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

FISHING

oh, no, not another evening of your
endless questions, tossed at me from
a safe distance as if fly fishing; but not
even hip high boots, a waterproof jacket,
and a floppy canvas hat can protect you
from this reality: if I so choose, I can easily
shake off the lures you cast, hidden (or so
you think) in your questions, they don't go
all that deep, not for this ocean savvy fish;
and although I'd welcome finding out what
being your catch of the day would be like,
I'm tired of this hook and release game, it's
like the film "Groundhog Day,"* with me
thrown back each time into the unknown,
without us ever really getting to know each
other (carnally, or otherwise); so put all
those fishing (and I'm starting to think
somewhat "fishy") questions away, along
with that tangled mental gear with which
you protect yourself: I don't bite (well,
not unless invited to, and only then if so
inclined), and this game fish is just about
to swim off to more inviting waters


[free verse poem on a dream of 1-5-18. Okey dokey, at least I'm consistent ... another male of the human species dream (a guy I actually know). Fish/fishing was not the dream's metaphor. In fact, it was an extremely realistic dream. I chose the fishing metaphor as I started writing, realizing that's what it had felt like as I dreamed it. Link to info on Groundhog Day" movie. Photomorph "Convoluted Lure" (9-5-13 009v3d) 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.

STIRRING THE POT (photo) & WHAT'S COOKIN'? (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

WHAT'S COOKIN'?

as I stir the large wide-mouthed pot of stew
on the stove to make sure all the chunks and
slices are thoroughly cooked, my large handled
spoon catches on a dark leathery strip of meat;
it seems utterly out of place in this concoction
and I also can't tell if it's spoiled; I stir it around
and around with the rest of the stew ingredients
thinking that once completely cooked, if it's rotten
won't matter as all the poison will have been boiled
away; a woman friend approaches and I decide to get
her opinion on this odd strip of meat, lifting it above
the pot, balanced precariously on the end of my ladle;
she looks at it and instantly says "Oh, no, it's gone
completely bad, just look into its eyes!" I check out
the meat and see a canine-like profile in it with a sharp
nose and even sharper teeth, and an eye I'm glad I can't
see the other in the pair of as it's so scary all by itself;
I quickly dump the steaming strip into the tightly
lidded garbage can in the corner, it's image sticking
in my mind like a warning that one should not come
anywhere near swallowing some things, ever


[free verse poem on a dream from the evening of 1-4-18. Sigh, Happy Birthday (yesterday) to me, ey? BTW, although not specifically stressed here, it was a male creature I saw in that piece of meat (if you'll pardon what right now I see as a rather appropriate pun). So though not overtly another in that series of males of the human species dreams I've been having, it does definitely connect to that miserable trend I (unfortunately) seem to have established in my dream world. Photo "Stirring the Pot" (12-30-17 006v2) 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.

WAITING FOR STARS (photo) & SOMEONE SO YOUNG (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

SOMEONE SO YOUNG

her fifteenth summer was one of the first
good, untainted ones she'd had since early
childhood: that two-month school break she lived
in Florida with her grandmother and uncle, many
states away from the denial that saturated her
father's house; her shyness and intense social
awkwardness were the same that summer as
ever but must have been outshone by something
that she neither felt nor saw in herself, especially
that evening she'll never forget when she gathered
the courage from somewhere to go to a party
for teenagers alone:

envision that she's watching the partiers lindy hop
beneath an abundance of stars, and that she's wearing
red Bermuda shorts with her long, fresh washed hair
tied with a ribbon in a high pony tail, when a cute
blond haired guy asks her to slow dance to the song
"Sea of Love;" also imagine her heart tripping: will
she step on his toes? or worse yet, will he pull her
way too close? and what will she do if he does?
but as hard as it is to accept she actually says
"yes" to his invitation; maybe its the softly warm
night air or the star shine mesmerizing her, but
she moves easily into his embrace and they
dance comfortably together, she feeling safe
in a male's arms for the first time in far
too long for someone so young


[a memory, written 1-3-18. This particular memory's been occurring to me, again and again, at odd moments recently. So I thought maybe writing about it would help me understand more fully why. However, right now all I get from it is more of that same yearning with which I still live: to feel both close and safe with a man. "Sea of Love," the version I danced to with that guy. Photo "Waiting for Stars" (1-2-18 002v2a) 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.

AUTUMN OF THE EMERALD TABLET (photo) & THE TIDE THIS TIME (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

THE TIDE THIS TIME

the young, blond, long haired guy's some sort
of itinerant racer, only in town for a short time;
I'm delighted he's chosen me to pal around with
because he's really cute and personable and a great
antidote to all that's been ailing me for way too long;
so what if this cure will only be temporary, and isn't
sexual as I'd like it to be, for any sense that this old
lady is really liked by an attractive man, is very
welcome; he takes me for a walk to show me
a beautiful area he's found, a spreading flatland
that's solidly over grown with grasses and bushes
and even some small trees, like a deep green sea
bobbing in the breezes bearing healthy plant life
that had somehow escaped the recent horrendous
wildfires; I then realize the resemblance to a sea
is greater than I thought when all the greenness
begins rushing like a tide toward us; clearly all
this life is rooted beneath a prairie of water that's
about to inundate us as we stand on a hillock; he
grabs my hand, saying we've stayed too long,
the tide's turning, we need to get back to town;
I face away from him toward home, prompting his
surprised comment: "You're moving away just as I'm
about to kiss you?" Dag it! He's right, I never have
been able to interpret a man's signals correctly;
we share a lengthy, passionate kiss and he whispers
in my ear afterwards that he's not wanted to be
anywhere for any length of time in many years,
but that he's going to stay around here for a good
long time; we stumble down the hillock toward
town holding hands, the green tide
lapping at our feet


[free verse poem on a dream of 1-2-18. Amazing! When I went to sleep, I'd not have bet a plug nickel I'd have any sort of pleasant dream. Yeah, it's clearly wish fulfillment (and about a man, again) but there are levels to it that are encouraging. Especially given the horrendous state I was in yesterday (one that's been progressing down a scary path, actually). I think what I like most about this dream is all that green/growth that escaped the wildfires. Something does survive, doesn't? Something always survives the worst life and ourselves can do to us. In this case, quite a lot seems to have survived. As far as the male of the species? Eh, no sense "he's" ever going to show up in my waking life. But he led me to that great green sea in this dream. And that's what counts. Photo "Autumn of the Emerald Tablet" (1-2-18 005v2a) 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.

RISING TO MEET THE UNKNOWN (photomorph) & ON CONNECTIONS AND CABLES (free verse dream poem) by Roswila

ON CONNECTIONS AND CABLES

1 --

she begins to sob
as I put my arm around her
prompting tears from me --
this explains so much about her:
that she, too, has been abused

did she hide the symptoms or was I blind?
no matter, it's better to connect late than never


2 --

the younger woman
is driving us where I've never been
but have yearned to go

she makes a sudden
U-turn onto the sidewalk:
has she changed her mind?
no, she's trying to find a faster route:
time is running out to get me there

as she wrestles with the steering wheel
I have an instant, very clear mental image:

it's like trying to pick up lost stitches in cabling
on an unfinished sweater while running at full tilt


[1: a tanka and a two-liner, 2: a dreamku, tanka, and 2 two-liners; both 1 & 2 are on dreams from the evening of 1-1-18. Haven't written dream pieces in these forms in a long time. It was a surprise when they started emerging on the page this morning. Kinda, sorta fun, actually, to use them again. There's a certain ease in knowing the literal form the words have to take on the page. With free verse or a dream narrative there's all this sculpting that I wind up doing, both in terms of line breaks and what words fit the piece's visual shape and deeper meaning as it emerges. And that process has no real rules, other than something inside me. So I wrestle and wrestle with the piece. LOL! Rules can sometimes be welcome, can't they? Oh, and yes, another evening of dreams without a male protagonist. What a relief after that run of testosterone bearers! Bad enough I have to deal with the male of the species in waking life. Photomorph "Rising to Meet the Unknown" (12-30-17 009v8a) 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.

INSURGENT MEMORY (photomorph) & SHE MAY NOT (non-dream free verse poem) by Roswila

SHE MAY NOT

she may not think of him nearly as often
as she used to, but the surprising grace
of a now bloomless flower stalk raises
an aching memory just the same of all that
yearning that blossomed toward the sun
and just as inevitably withered and died,
but beauty remembered is still beauty,
and unrequited love's lingering imprint still
as lively and precious: a delicate late in life
blossom to be treasured when stumbled
upon around the sudden corner
of a memory


[non-dream free verse poem written 12-29-17. Yeah, another man poem. Well, at least it's not from a dream, ey? Though what difference that makes is more and more moot as I watch the changing character of the thoughts/feelings of both my waking life and my dreams. I read somewhere a long time ago that as we age our dreams tend to become more (for lack of a better term) realistic (i.e., less fantastical). I'd agree but add that my waking mental/emotional world seems to be compensating by becoming more and more imaginative. And that's saying something given imagination has been a survival tool of mine (though I did not recognize this until very recently), from earliest childhood. In a way, however, we're all always using the human imaginative capacity, aren't we? Something gets "imagined" in order for us to even lift one foot forward. I'm reminded of what Carl Sandburg has been quoted as saying: "Nothing happens unless first a dream." Especially as I have not ever limited his use of "dream" to just what happens in our sleep, but to the idea of envisioning. And not even to just deliberately and consciously doing so, but that process by which we move ourselves forward in life. Literally, movement by movement. What comes before any movement. I imagine (LOL) an unconscious flash holographic pattern that we then follow in action. Of course, as usual, when I think of this I find myself wondering where that holographic flash comes from. My apologies for that rant. Must be the New Year energy getting to me. All this looking back at the past gets to be a bit much. Yeah, I actually did say that. Moi, who's focus tends to be on the past. In light of all this I'll share my New Year's resolution: "Choose Joy!" The most simply worded one I've ever made but also the most profound. This choice was aided and abetted by my party table mates last night. I asked them what they thought I might resolve for 2018. After listening gratefully but not really pondering consciously on what they said, "Choose Joy!" just popped to mind and I knew it was right. Ah, don't fuss at the past and seek the ultimate source of things, instead "Choose Joy!" Of course that's an oversimplification but it's a handy tool to help keep me in the present. Just like those friends last night at the New Year's Eve party did. Photomorph "Insurgent Memory" (12-30-17 009v11) 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.

STUDY IN DARK & LIGHT (photo) & WINTER BREAK IN I.V. (non-dream tanka pair) by Roswila

WINTER BREAK IN I.V.

the long, drying fingers
of the palm frond tickle my bowed
neck as I pass by;
a welcome quiet stretches on,
the crows only lightly cawing

I sit on my walker
in a shadow-dusted patch of sunlight
and draft a poem:
inspiration gratefully drawn
from a world briefly at rest


[non-dream tanka pair written 12-29-17. I have two other poems ready to post. But one's about (can you guess?) a man (sigh), and the other's rather angry. Hell, I need a winter break, too. And just as the experience related in this poem was oh-so-welcome the other day, I am grateful to tap briefly into its peace if only for the time it takes me to post it here. (And fuss at it; you'd not believe how much editing I did on this one to shape it up, even just now after I'd thought it was finished.) BTW, I.V. (Isla Vista) is the university town I frequently wander around. Except for breaks such as spring and year-end holidays, it's a very busy place. Crowded with students and vehicles of all kinds, and the concomitant noise. No complaints, I enjoy the liveliness. But the peace and quiet is also very welcome when it's there. Ooops! Almost forgot: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can't wrap this soon to be 74 year old mind around the idea that it's going to be 2018. How'd we get this far into the new century already. Photo "Study in Dark & Light" (12-30-17 003v3) 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.