DARK PASSAGE
there are those I suppose who’d
say it’s good that the ego/I of this
dream is aware, does not want the car
to crash, a middle-aged woman
asleep at the wheel, and that “I” keep
nudging her on her shoulder as she
(yet again) begins to snooze and bend
over; the same folk might also point
out that this single lane, winding,
countryside road is empty but for our
small car so there’s no chance of
collision with some other vehicle no
matter how we might swerve; but, damn,
there’s all those menacing, thick-boled
trees lining the road and an overall sense
of impending doom; it’s getting dark,
and who knows what waits down some
unseen embankment? just as I begin to
add worry about off-road dangers to
my anxiety list, I notice the driver’s
seat is empty! yikes! …. oh, no, no, not
empty, it seems the ersatz driver has
finally fallen fully asleep at the wheel
and slid down to curl up in the inky
shadows under the dash board; I start
shoving and poking and yelling at her:
“the brake, damnit, the brake, hit the brake
pedal, it’s right there!” even as I grab too
late for the wheel to keep us from going
completely off this nearly night-time
road; I note right away the ground is
very soft, if hilly, and very green in
the last light of day; we roll quickly
and smoothly to a gently tilted full stop
without the brake ever being engaged or
the snoring driver waking up; I sigh with
relief and mumble that there may be worse
strategies one can choose than sleeping
through a dark passage
[dream of 2-18-19. I say “ego/I” as that is where my dream consciousness was centered. BTW, it’s not uncommon for me to dream that either someone else is driving (usually in an appropriate way, but not always) or I’m in the driver’s seat (in those instances, I’m fully aware I don’t know how to drive, which I actually don’t). It’s interesting if I’ll be able to get some meaning out of this dream, other than the “message” at the end. I’ve been pleading with my dreams for help as I fall asleep these days. For some advice or comment or course correction, etc., etc. This morning I find my thoughts coming back, again and again, to that expression “a new normal.” And, yes, there can be a certain amount of relief in embracing that understanding. However, at this stage of life, nothing stays even as a “new normal” very long, sometimes for no longer than what feels like the blink of an eye. The constant changes make me both literally and metaphorically nauseated. Photomorph “Night Vision” (10-24-12 d&p) 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.
