Nightmares of Uncertainty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrise over the golf course of Oulton Hall Hotel.  © Copyright Steve F. and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) license.  The original image can be found at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2163718.

 

Dear Readers,

 

This poem was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “A Dream Within a Dream”.  According to Wikipedia, the poem “reflects Poe's feelings about his life at the time, dramatizing his confusion in watching the important things in his life slip away.  Realizing he cannot hold onto even one grain of sand leads to his final question that all things are a dream.”  This is a natural stepping off point for remembering the uncertainties we all feel in life and asking the question of how can we rise above the paralysis of uncertainty and fear.

 

This poem is a co-write of

 

            Sheila Kline (http://www.writerscafe.org/wvhillbilly47) &

            Rick Puetter (http://www.writerscafe.org/rpuetter)

 

 

Nightmares of Uncertainty

 

     “…Is all that we see or seem / But a dream within a dream?...”

 

                           --- Edgar Allen Poe

 

 

Life seems a dream within a dream--

A puzzle past all mortal schemes.

Man's tears flow free 'neath troubled brow,

For we know not Life's whys or hows.

As judgment fails in dark of night,

We chart bold plans, but lack insight.

Will knowledge come--keep dark at bay?

Or blindness rule and hold full sway!

 

Life's truth is found within our dreams,

But paths get lost--in pain, soul screams.

As Man's mind seeks Life's distant shores,

The clock ticks on--soul cries for more.

Yet sand in glass drains lower still--

And spirit dies--such bitter pill!

The reason for nightmares is clear--

We lack the strength to conquer fear!

 

The Future? Well, this, too, a dream!

What shores we'll reach remains unseen.

Will Man's hopes fall in mockery?

Man's spirit left in poverty?

As cross roads up ahead large loom,

We're so uncertain, we're consumed.

Through dreams mind slides on scales like snake

Oh sanity, don't fail, don't shake!

 

And as mind weaves through shadows deep,

I pray these nightmares l'll not keep.

Let not this suffering be in vain,

Nor crippling doubt in mind remain.

So 'bout myself I'll wrap strong shield

And force of will as bright sword wield!

I'll march with strength through all my doubts,

And through these dreams this bold cry shout:

 

I am but Man, yet here I stand

Now fears be gone!  I vow!  Command!

 

 

 

©2011 by Sheila Kline and Richard Puetter, each and individually

All rights reserved

Author's Note

I want to thank Sheila Kline, my coauthor, for her creative spark and inspiring passion in the writing of this poem. Thank you, Sheila!

And a note for Dinesh,

Dear Dinesh,

We are normally a big fan of your reviews. You seem to have great insight into writing. But here we must depart, and truly we are a bit perplexed. You say "A thing I note is, the flow (Cleanliness of meter) is absent here, which was a major factor in "A dream within a dream".

We are a bit surprised at this statement because Poe's poem is notably absent of consistent meter. His poem almost disregards meter, while ours concentrates on it. That is not to say our poem is better than Poe's. Quite the contrary, we are truly in homage of Poe's poem. But let's recognize what Poe's poem is. It is genius, but Poe was not concerned with smooth meter, like we were. Our meter is 8 syllable iambic terameter throughout. Poe's poem has even and odd syllable count, randomly throughout the poem. So while we will not challenge the superiority of Poe's words over our own, We'll challenge the statement that Poe's meter is consistent.

Below we give Poe's syllable count. It is not consistent or smooth--not necessarily needed for a masterful poem. But certainly not given to "smooth" or "consistent" meter. And the accent scheme necessarily varies since the syllable count is not consistent.

Rick and Sheila

Here is Poe's poem with syllable count. We can give the accent scheme also, if that is needed, but the syllable count itself shows that Poe is not principally concerned with "smooth" meter, but is more engaged with meaning.

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow! (7)
And, in parting from you now, (7)
Thus much let me avow- (6)
You are not wrong, who deem (6)
That my days have been a dream; (7)
Yet if hope has flown away (7)
In a night, or in a day, (7)
In a vision, or in none, (7)
Is it therefore the less gone? (7)
All that we see or seem (6)
Is but a dream within a dream. (8)

I stand amid the roar (6)
Of a surf-tormented shore, (7)
And I hold within my hand (7)
Grains of the golden sand- (6)
How few! yet how they creep (6)
Through my fingers to the deep, (7)
While I weep- while I weep! (6)
O God! can I not grasp (6)
Them with a tighter clasp? (6)
O God! can I not save (6)
One from the pitiless wave? (7)
Is all that we see or seem (7)
But a dream within a dream? (7)

Reviews

[Inci 2]

Sir, once i read a story about a man who wanted to escape away from reality and the harshness of life and how he used to imagine about third level of the grand central station from where he used to escape to his old town ..A place back during 1920's - peaceful and full of togetherness.... it was a mental condition that made his mind wander and dream about better things in life... What I learnt from this is contrasting and that we all dream and many times those may be nightmares in sleep or in reality but we must not be scared to face them...the last line explains it all....
for me it was a kind of poem i'd like to read.... excellent work :)

[Shellie]

Fabulous collaboration. In regards to Dinesh's review about the meter, I also found a few parts where I stumbled over the words but then i reread it to myself and i reckon it may have been my accent. Like eg : Alot of my american friends and relatives say 'Rowt' for Route where i say 'Root' for Route, I always take that into consideration. It sounds like that may not matter but if i even get a friend of mine with a Dublin accent to read aloud a poem it sounds different to the way i read it. County Cork accent that I have} Hope that all makes sense, Id rather be honest[. I really do feel my spoken accent made the meter sound different coz when i read it to myself it flowed wonderfully.
I think ye both did an excellent job on this collab, i was stunned by alot of the phrasing in the way it was presented it was just so well executed.

[JENY]

This is a new style of writing….as far as your previous writings are concerned…
And…it is the best of your poems that I read till today…
I never thought that you have such a bending of mind…
Liked the poem so much..

[Ruth]

Excellent sweety! The dream feel to existence...woahhh, surreal, yes, but how we try to find sanity throughout it ey? I think this is genius! Serious kudos love! xx

[Fabian G. Franklin]

Ah, wonderful meter and rhyme...the poem seems almost from another time...the Victorian age, to be precise. As for content, I learned a trick in my early youth. I used to have awful nightmares but I learned in my dreaming subconscious that I am the master of my fate. I learned how to shapeshift in my dreams...produce weapons from thin air and become my own hero...a "dream warrior" so to speak. It works still. If I have a nightmare that is unsettling...I will turn it in my mind to a victory...every time. I have even summoned Greek gods and heroes in my dreams to protect me and they show up like...( who dares to threaten OUR friend!?!) I always wake up with a "Yeah, take THAT! attitude" Of course it doesn't last long as night visions give way to reality but it's a great deal better than waking up scared or in a panic.

[ShaneBerry]

as always, an incredible piece. great vocabulary, i must admit i had to read it several times in order to find meaning in it lol. i am not the deepest person here :p.

but another incredible write by you Rick i look forward to much much more from you!

[Samuel Dickens]

I'm eating the cake and commenting on it's taste, completely unaware of the baker's recipe or baking methods. I've always loved Poe-- especially his poetry. Your poem, it seems to me, carries much the same message as his, but not quite as clearly or as efficiently. To fall short of his genius is no disgrace, of course. Still, a fine effort.

[Tommy]

The subconscious mind creates a scene of vast polar expression. To delve into the depths of dreams found in the subconscious, and seek out meaning is a quest for fool's gold, I think. Don't take this as a metaphor for this piece, because I found this work more than captivating. However, the rationalization of dreams is left up in the air for me. Sure some dreams can be found to be contrived or rather revealed by emotions found in the conscious mind, but others are more out there in sense of reality, or at least that is my take on my own dreams. I don't think our conscious mind can will our subconscious to do anything, but rather feel it is the other way around, and our subconscious drives our conscious mind in direction. I wish I could conquer the doubts, and find a way to wield the sword and use the shield to block unwanted thoughts, and in full sense project my dreams for my will. However, if this was so, I think people would be sleeping longer, because life would be lived better in our dreams. The conscious mind has its dreams as well, but rather they are seen in depth of thought, and are projected as wishes, and aspirations directed at a betterment of life lived. So the saying, "One can dream, can't they," conceives the notion of the conscious mind directing thoughts. I don't know this is a very thought provoking piece to say the least, and it was much enjoyed!

Great Collaboration Of Work You Two!
RLG,
Tommy

[Legion]

Very well done, but in the end, no matter how defiant we are and have the will to stand strong we shall fail and fall back into the dust from which we came. A great piece though none-the-less. Bravo.

[Dragonslayer57]

I have never read Poe's poem until now. I write what I feel and do not care about the political correctness of a poem. Though it may shock serious writers of poetry, each to their own. I happen to like both poems. In "Nightmares of Uncertianty" I see how uncertian human life is and how we loose sight of our dreams. If we don't conquer our fears our fears conquer us.