dreaming, we know how high the moon
how deep the sea, how red the sands of distant shores
where intersecting places dive up t’ward the world
where they part, and where our dreams divide us
sheer us root to crown and send us seeking
sleepers waked and walking in the world
we have looked across the intervening space
at strangers faces, over coffee, sometimes in a crowd
we have known them from the footprints in our dreams
the shapes of somnus feet spelled out in recesses
somewhere behind the eyes where lies
a rumbling recognition
we have reached out to each other, each to each
slumbering arms spanning seas and continents
caught each other in passages to nightmare
and soothed our friends to waking
we have plunged our bodies into seas of strife
removed villainous weapons before they could cut
staged hot air balloon rescues from the edges of cliffs
we have been the heroes of each other’s dreams
we have stood together, you and I,
upon the crumbling bridge of moonlight between here and Mars
we have built a ladder out of childish things
clambered ‘cross it to the shadow’d crags of distant shores
we have been pirates, villains, friends and lovers
and sometimes, when we wake, we still remember
before the light of day mutes memories
we know, still, the faces of our friends
and we know
we know
we know how high the moon
This sounds like Ella herself.
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That might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about my poetry. 🙂
Thank you!
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I like the confidence in the words here against the ephemeral dream. My favorite lines: “the shapes of somnus feet spelled out in recesses”, “the crumbling bridge of moonlight” and the “ladder of childish things”.
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Dreams have always felt so concrete to me. So connected. I love the ladder of childish things as well. 🙂
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Dreams are wondrous things that have eluded me for years. I am sure I have them, but only on rarest occasion can I recall them. This poem makes me mourn what I am missing.
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I have heard that keeping a dream journal can help you to recall them with more regularity. Maybe that would help? It helped me at a point where my dreams seemed elusive to me.
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A dream journal is a great idea, however, when I wake up, I have no recollection of any dream whatsoever. Most of the time that is.
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I think the idea is that you write them down when you do remember them, and that lets you remember more and more as time goes on. 🙂
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