A Dreamer’s Hope

A sort of dark night of the soul, waiting for a sign from above...

A Dreamer’s Hope

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven

-      (Genesis 28:10-19)

 

When the world has become empty

Offering nothing

When I have become innocent

Wanting nothing

Then I’ll go

Step by step

Higher and higher

Clean of consternation

Free of fear

Blind and deaf to

Gain or loss

Into the clouds

I’ll disappear

 

I wondered in the fog too long

Looking for something:

Trinkets and knickknacks,

Happiness, love, myself

Who knows?

 

What’s there to do now

But sleep?

And let periscopes rise

To the skies

Waiting for a dream

A vision, a voice, or

If that’s too much to ask,

Just a gleam

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Your lines spoke to me of someone who is searching and wanting answers from the heavens when there are none to be found on this earthly plain. I used to do that too, and got no answers, so have given up. A dreamer's hope indeed. Very nicely conveyed lines and relatable too.

Chris

[Eilis]

This feels like a dramatization of the story of Jacob's ladder. There is a lot of contradiction in biblical stories, I mean contradiction of character and desire -- so, humanity on full display-- and I like the way that is played out in your poem.

Of course, that could be just a jumping off point--the idea spark, but regardless, I like the play here between mind and heart. The pull toward something larger without the absolute faith that that something larger exists.

The first line, in itself, is almost like an impossible supposition. Followed by the next three lines, the potential for forward movement begins to seem distant to foreign to impossible itself.

There's a lot of depth here. Exciting poetry. Glad to discover your work.