Dreamways

THE BIRD

A bird calls me
From a tall tree
In my dream,

Calls me from the pink twig of daylight,
From the long shadow
That inches each night closer to my heart,
Calls me from the edge of the world.

I give her my dream.
She dyes it red.
I give her my breath.
She turns it into rustling leaves.

She calls me from the highest cloud.
Her chirp
Like a match flickering
In a new grave.

*

Bird, shaped
Like the inside
Of a yawning mouth.

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"Botox Appointments Faster Than for Moles, Study Finds“ reads the disturbing headline of a disturbing article by Natasha Singer in The New York Times (20 Aug 07). The article goes on to explain that a study published in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reported that "dermatologists in 12 cities offered a typical wait of eight days for a cosmetic patient wanting Botox to smooth wrinkles, compared with a typical wait of 26 days for a patient requesting evaluation of a changing mole, a possible indication of skin cancer.“  read more »

"No one doubts that animal prosthetics are doing plenty of good, but is it possible to go too far? Well, there’s always the matter of the dog testicles. Researcher Gregg Miller mortgaged his home to help fund his invention of an unlikely prosthesis that he calls 'neuticles.' The goal was not to restore the dogs' breeding abilities – that’s clearly impossible – but rather their 'self-esteem.' No word yet from the patients on whether the surgery worked.  read more »

“What a dream I had of you! A cow flew over us and crushed your nose – It went black. I had tapioca pudding handy, and applied it. The nose gradually blew out like a toy pig. What’s the interpretation? Horror and guilt both strongly present.”
This sleep dream was recounted in a letter written by Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West in May, 1940. (The Letters of Virginia Woolf, Vol. VI, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York and London, 1980, pg. 396)

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It is a wild cacophony of colors and shapes. To the left, Luann has a garish clown’s face, wearing purple goggles, a red bow tie, a brassiere that looks like headlights, a stocking cap, a black camisole, and striped leggings. She is striding confidently forward, each foot in a blue bucket, sloshing green goop and labeled “PAIN.” Next to her is her English teacher’s head on a rattlesnake’s red and green body, holding a piece of paper with “F” on. Next to him are stairs leading up, its red and green treads alternating, red labeled “STOP”, green labeled “GO”.

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We are on a smoothe, beige-sand beach with small waves washing onto the shore. In the middle of the scene stands an attractive blond woman. To her right, on the ground, we see the tips of numerous white surfboards fanned out out the sand. The blond is of a solid athletic build, with a boyish haircut. She is standing legs apart, her left hand on her hip, her lowered right hand holding a black and white megaphone. She has a whistle around her neck. She is wearing a balck wet suit, with a patch of blue fabric under her left arm.

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"At Australia’s Bunny Fence, Variable Cloudiness Prompts Climate Study.“ So reads the headline in an article by Sonal Noticewala in The New York Times (14 Aug 07). The piece explains that "a fence built to prevent rabbits from entering the Australian outback has unintentionally allowed scientists to study the effects of land use on regional climates. The rabbit-proof fence – or bunny fence – in Western Australia was completed in 1907 and stretches about 2,000 miles. It acts as a boundary separating native vegetation from farmland.

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"Tiny high-heeled shoes, glued to a man’s feet by an angry girlfriend while he slept, can’t be removed and are beginning to shut down his circulation.“ This altogether fascinating waking-life scenario was listed in an article about some of the calls for information and assistance received at the Colorado Poison Control call center (Katy Human, "Inside the Busiest Poison Control Call Center in the Country“, The Denver Post, 19 Sep 07).

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The review starts out: "He had a dream, so they had a 'Dream Concert'; a three-hour-plus variety show Tuesday night at Radio City Music Hall. The beneficiary was the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in Washington, which is working to raise $100 million to 'build the dream.' There was a brief 'virtual tour' of the planned memorial, but there was surprisingly little talk about the actual design and construction.  read more »

In his essay "The Art of Reality“ (Tricycle Magazine, Fall 07) author Bruce Wagner mindfully reminisces about his teacher, Carlos Casteneda, an explorer of the wisdom to be found in the world of dreams. Wagner presents a sleep dream and how he made meaning of it.
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