![](https://res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/d_642250b563292b35f27461a7.png,f_jpg,fl_progressive,q_auto,w_1024/63a2548094b2a4001dc9b02e.png)
It started as a dream,
I think...
there -
under the shadows of the moon.
In shades (and hues) of blue
{{and pink}};
I think I saw my life [[end all]]
too soon.
I woke up in the clouds
{{then blinked}}
and all of a damn sudden, I
was moving,
flying through...
a galaxy devoid [[of sound]]
and things
that would have put (me in)
{{my room}}.
Then, there -
out of the stardust
[[came]]
a being, (a premonition) who...
was not masculine
[[nor feminine]],
but a skeleton of dreams
(who seemed)
to represent MY OWN [[impending doom]].
"Who... are you?" (I asked)
though I could barely [[grasp]]
the meaning of my words
(as I)
just faintly heard (and saw) them through...
{{the blue}}
of space and time
as we flew !~fast~!
(and our) existential purpose seemed
to slowly come
{{unglued}}.
"I am the ghost of
Día de
(los muertos)-past"
***the figure said***
"I am Noche de los vivos -
~~~~~~~~the night (of all)~~~~~~~
{{THE LIVING}};
I am here to guide you
in your sleep
to see what kind of life
(on Earth)
your troubled essence (has)
been giving."
Then, before (I could) respond
I think [[I thought]] I witnessed
(my)
own spirit (leave) my body...
I watched (the dimness) all
around us fade
as constellation {*citrus*} trees
began to blossom
(as did)
{*{daffodils}*} and poppies.
"Follow me,"
it said to me
and I waded through [[the hollowness]]
of water;
and as I did
I sunk amid
{{colossal twists}} of which
I thought I was
{{the author}}.
All around me, I
[~began to see~]
my story pass [[as if]]
the footprints of my life
{{were scripted}} in
**********THE STARS**********...
"Tell God your plans, and he
will laugh," (it said),
and then it stuck [[its hand]]
inside my chest (and)
***garnered out*** my
{~~WARRING HEART~~}.
Oh, how time
{{ESCAPED ME}}, I...
was racing -
{{{blazing}}} through
the sky (without my) [[earthly blood]]...
then like *a lotus*
(like) morning {{GLORIES}} and rosehips, I
could feel my essence (like a flower)
start
to slowly come undone (and)
softly *BUD*.
I was something of a *constellation aster*...
I was purple, {blooming}
~*zooming*~ through
[[an hourglass-stained sky]]...
until I stopped and spun
in circles, and
began to plummet
(faster)...
FASTER -
(into terrains and summits, that)
[[were part of a strange planet]], called
"Me, MYSELF...and I."
"What is this place?"
I asked the being, who looked at me (with)
unforgiving eyes...
"This is where
>>>you judge your will<<<
(to see if you're) fully fulfilled
--or if--
you're living in
A WORLD CONSTRUCTED OF MERE LIES.
"I live an honest life," I said -
but as I thought about it, >>and<<
*as I*
fought around it...
as I saw it play out right before my eyes...
I realized I felt full of dread, for I
(through all this time)
had, of course, been wearing a disguise.
Perhaps, **perhaps***, (it was all the)
masks I'd worn...
through 2020 - into this new year's
quick uprise,
~~but I'd collapsed~~
[[my subconscious cracked]] -
(and I realized I)
>>was no longer someone I<<
think I thought I {{recognized}}.
And that was when
~~the skeleton~~
leaned into me and
pointed to the vast, hypnotic skies...
and oh, how right before me
[[[I]]]
began to see my higher self
deplore me, (for)
my present self was now (somehow)
>>R*O*B*O*T*I*C<<, ossified.
Stiff and stuck,
(I had no movement)
I was running fast
but
[[staying still]]...
fighting currents, going nowhere going through it
walking up an endless, inclined hill.
Tick, tick, ticking
(I was drifting) !but! was stagnant...
{{I was whole but somehow also ** *fragments * *...}}
(my soul was nothing, but)
[[a ticking time bomb with]]
a senseless sense of time...
then I felt myself disperse and form star droplets
falling freely from a constellation's
*
d
r
i
p
p
i
n
g
*
*
**faucet**
and each and every part of me -
my {heart}
and -hands-
and all my thoughts
(became) >>> safari comets, >>>>that then
took off through space
* * * * * * * >>>>>aboard a rocket------>>>>>
!!!each!!!
(within their place)
[[[unlocking paradigms]]].
I settled in the dust somewhere
(I think)
upon the ruby rust of Mars...
all around me
(I saw faces)
made not up of beauty
(but of)
adumbrations (truly) --and of--
loosely-strung guitars.
Then, the music...
🎶 🎶🎵(the strange music)🎶🎵 🎶
echoed through me, and
through all shades of light (that were not)
!!!bright!!!
[[nor gloomy]]
yet ultraviolet; infrared...
The skeleton -
(my friend, the skeleton)
looked at me with hollow, space-draped eyelets
and I began to feel all [[tensity]] between us
FINALLY... break bread.
"Now's your chance,"
(he whispered to me)
"Go ahead, my friend, go right ahead and dance...
go on, go on - now is your chance," (he said),
I know you've always wanted to be red."
And that was when
- - just for a moment - -
(yes, for just one moment) out in space...
I felt the doom of Earth's blue surface
(cease to cool my fiery purpose)
and I danced on top of ruby,
SCARLET Mars-red fate.
Dance I did...
(~*~oh how I danced~*~)
amid all the many glowing faces in the sky...
of versions of myself from my soul's past,
*because*, alas -
I was once bees, and birds,
~and elephants;
(as was I)
purple peonies and butterflies.
"Tell God your plans and he
will laugh,"
[[I whispered]]
*as I*
watched my many pieces fade into the sky...
>>>then my friend
[[the skeleton]]
handed me my mangled map
my tangled graph
my labeled draft of life (strapped to a)
[[[[[thousnad sticks of dynamite]]]]}.
"How am I to know (if I'm)
supposed to be ** *a fire's glow* **
>>or if I'm meant to flow
~~like water~~
through all of life's low tides?"
"My child, you will see
that you are free
(no matter in which)
element or format you reside."
And that was when I realized
* **that the dynamite** *
was made of light
and therefore it was also
made of lovely {{ fire }}...
(so I took)
the ticking time bombs in my hands...
and with one strike {{{{ I began, I started to ignite }}}}
the love
{{and brightly glowing}}
~laughter strands~
that my little, Earthly heart desired.
>>>And then,
I think that I exploded;
I think that all my fibers (became)
spiderwebs with notes of turquoise stardust way up high...
>>and then I woke up to red roses that<<
....had blossomed under
{never ending, sapphire blue skies}.
How ironic, how
symbolic (that)
with ruby red and azure writhing...
I could be lilac, I...
could be a shade of violet, I...
could be fire's glow and water's flow
(during the)
wondrous Night of (all) the Living.
-Gina C. 🧚♀️✨
***
Author's Note: Día de los muertos, or "Day of the Dead", is a Mexican holiday in which people celebrate their loved ones who have passed. It is meant to reunite the living and those who are no longer with us.
My dream was the ironic opposite of Día de los muertos. During this crazy, star-filled and moonlit adventure - which my subconscious called "The Night of the Living" - a faceless spirit encouraged me to challenge, question, and celebrate my existence on Earth - to honor and accept my blue as much as my red.
I write a lot about having a conflicted spirit of both blue and red - of equal parts fire and water. If you follow me, you'll see this theme pop up a lot. While I am the most at home in blue, I've always strived and dreamed of being more permanently red. The fire exists within me, and it does shine through at times. Once I am blue, I always strive to be Red again. 💃🏽✨
I am a huge fan of the artwork of Frida Kahlo and thought that this painting of hers - which is called "The Dream" - paired with my strange, existential adventure quite well. Frida Kahlo is considered one of Mexico's greatest artists.
***
Welcome to my ✨Surreal Poetry Series✨. :) If you enjoyed this piece, you might also like this one, which was also written for the Full Moon Challenge:
Did you like seeing a poem paired with a famous painting? If so, you might enjoy my Famous Painting & Poetry Series. Here is another from that collection:
If you are interested to read more work of mine inspired by my ongoing Blue & Red Theme, you might enjoy these:
***
Thank you so much for reading! ☺️ I'm working really hard to grow my community on Vocal, so if you enjoyed this poem, I'd be over the moon if we could be friends and support each other here!
I reciprocate all comments, hearts, and subscriptions. :) ❤️
About the Creator
Gina C.
Achievements:
- Twice-published in Vocal's Moment of Freedom Collection:
Free-Form poet of ethereal style🧚♀️✨
Fantasy writer
A sucker for a good rhyme
Follow my Ghosts of Relationships' Past series:)
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Comments (12)
Wow I felt like i was there in your dream for this, an enjoyable & magical journey ! Loved it
Very well done. I love how your words so easily flow together. Beautiful and meaningful work.
I love this piece so much! Your writing enamors me. I loved the riding the rollercoaster of your emotional, inspiring journey, and the imagery is beautiful and intense. :)
This was like dozing off in a fever dream after a gulp of cough medicine, full lucidity and clarity. You’ve put something so prophetic into words, and every line drew me in more. If I can read through a whole poem without having to re-read a line twice, I fall in love with it and remember it at once. I truly love your poem. I feel it elevates my own will to write. Thank you so much for sharing and best of luck in the challenge!
What is not to love? The form, the depts, the exploration. Wonderful
There is so much in this, almost an anti-haiku, something I will revisit, absolutely amazing
I was whole but somehow also fragments. I loved this line so much! I only came to know about The Day of the Dead when I watched Coco a few years back. I loved the concept of Night of the Living for this poem. So brilliant!
Wow. Wonderful and intriguing masterpiece. Yet beautiful it’s clarity and mystique. Your connection to your subconscious is amazing. 🥰❤️Love your poetry.
Very creative❤️ I love how each stanza was formed differently. Beautiful and well done!
Oh my. This is a wild ride through the cosmos of self-reflection. Very creative and extremely well done.
First, I have to give love to the amazing image of Frida's! The thing I loved about this poem the most was that even before I reached your notes at the end, I noticed all the little nods to other poetry of yours I've read. It made this experience (and that is what it was read this gem) more special and so very genuine. Really wonderful work!!
This is surreal yet believable. Such a creative mind! The structure is the masterpiece. It’s innovative yet familiar, calming and chaos, I’m just swept away into the adventure. I think the more times I enjoy reading it, I’ll pick up another meaning, a different intention, it’s that good! And always such satisfaction at the end! Great job Gina!
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