March 19, 2012
Monday Poem
Breeze
I dreamt I was
dreaming in Chinese
so didn’t understand my dream
though it’s calligraphy was clear
as the brushed strokes of breeze.
the characters Lao Tzu
climbed behind closed eyes
but said as little as they could
mounting nothing hill
obliquely vanishing
between two skies
.
I came upon a Buddha
sitting circular and
wise as a pictograph
without a word
silently
loquacious
mutely musical
—unheard as a muzzled
mourning dove
.
in this dream
I’m free of words & guile
as Buddha’s smile
.
by Jim Culleny
3/16/12
Posted by Jim Culleny at 12:40 AM | Permalink
Comments
Thanks Jim. In death we are all "...free of words & guile...".
Posted by: Norman Costa | Mar 19, 2012 9:08:22 AM
True, it's the rare person who makes it from cradle to grave without stewing their character in a little mendacity. That's why the dream of truth is so nice.
Posted by: Jim | Mar 19, 2012 9:20:14 AM
Nice quality to it, but a bit opaque, at least for me. Suggest play with it a bit, the words dreamt, dreaming, dream x2, too many in a short poem. Look forward to your next one. Cheers!
Posted by: Rafiq Kathwari | Mar 19, 2012 12:45:12 PM
This is love, Jim, exquisite, much appreciated.
Posted by: Zara | Mar 19, 2012 2:00:24 PM
'Mandacity'?, Jim. Remember 'poetess'?
Loved it
Posted by: Felix E F Larocca MD | Mar 19, 2012 2:44:25 PM
Felix—
What's a little typo among friends. I fixed it.
Posted by: Jim | Mar 19, 2012 2:56:27 PM
A typo brings friends closer yet
Posted by: Felix E F Larocca MD | Mar 19, 2012 3:16:21 PM
Jim, you made me realize that I never had a dream where I was being untruthful to myself or someone else. I may have had dreams that were silly or bizarre. But, to the extent I understood them, they were always the truest representation of myself.
Posted by: Norman Costa | Mar 19, 2012 9:07:03 PM
That's it, isn't it? That's the poem.
Thanks Norman.
Posted by: Jim | Mar 19, 2012 9:27:28 PM
I liked it Jim. It's more of a feeling poem without thinking too much rather than an intellectual poem, if you can get what I mean.
Thank you.
Posted by: Wulfstan | Mar 21, 2012 9:09:05 AM
Wolfstan—
A warning to the writer in me...
Posted by: Jim | Mar 21, 2012 10:42:30 AM
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