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 :)

[Chloe..Across the Unive..]

Seems Poe wrote a bit of freestyle. maybe? I am not a poet to speak of this.
I know little of syllable counting and meters ect. This is why I am not a poet I guess lol - I find the poem smooth and easy to read. Both Poe's and this one.

I reviewed this on Shelia's home page and am struck by how very well you too blend.
It is really hard to tell which verse is your's or her's. I was saying if life is but a dream as some say, i should be awake. I really like this poem you two wrote.
It is meaningful and verges on the mystical. A wonderful job.

Chloe

[YouoweYoupay]

I am but Man, yet here I stand
Now fears be gone! I vow, command!

Very touching, inspiring, and absul. thought-provoking. In this poem you try to fight though. You are a fighter against the natural fears that come across us and smudge our skies with gloom and uncertainity. This poem lifted my spirits up a bit. Thank you for posting. Keep writing.

[Mark]

It is an easy trap to fall into, to become obsessed with the mechanics of a poem, and allow that to limit the scope of your idea. I know this, as it is a trap into which I once fell very often, and yet occasionally do. But one syllable too many or too few encourages rather than defeats rhythm...it is the very reason that all music is not written in quarter notes, but an admixture of durations without which a plodding repetitive drone, rather than a captivating melody, ensues. I've gone back to my earlier stuff and realized that though my sonnet had fourteen lines and the "right" rhyme scheme, they were hardly ever pure iambic pentameter...and I didn't change them, either, as I liked the way they flowed, notwithstanding that flaw.
Rant concluded.
Your poem is a delight, not BECAUSE every line is four iambic feet, but despite that. The meaning, the insights, the message are what make it beautiful, not a flawless, mechanistic delivery. It is an inescapable and very frustrating Truth that Life is (and always WILL be!) a mystery to us, whose lessons are no easier to grasp than Poe's grains, nor more permanent that the dunes and beaches created by them.

[Tate Morgan]

hi guys I loved it thought i was reading a piece from the great unsung poet David Lewis Paget .The poem was in depth It speaks quite clearly to me. Personally I have to commend you both this is a work I find hard to believe was created together.It is rare to see such continuity of thought in two different poets.What i see is a perfect meter I tapped it out on my fingers as I do with my own and find it is not left wanting.It seems you two communicate well. No offense is meant in saying between you is a mature dignity to the discipline.

[Dinesh Sairam]

EA Poe was a great poet. If he only had had a good childhood, he'd have written more nature and romantic poems. Further, many of his poems were lost when his house burned down in an accident. Still, the remaining pieces show his greatness as a poet.

As for me, I'm little inspired by his dark themes and sad line of poems. But I enjoy his rhymes though.

And this poem is great, and good in vocabulary. A thing I note is, the flow (Cleanliness of meter) is absent here, which was a major factor in "A dream within a dream".

PS. Keats has written a poem which seems like a shorter version of this poem: "On Death".

Keep writing.

[Alicante lullaby]

one of loveliest and scariest aspect of life is its unpredictability...
your words were powerful,indeed inspired and as true as truth can be...
excellent writing.

[Ladysue]

An outstanding collaboration...I enjoy every word of this piece.. great thoughts flowing off the page...impeccable flow. I especially like the last two stanza's...brilliant writing...