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I Dream of a Nightmare

by laurafraser 

Posted: 26 October 2004
Word Count: 140
Summary: The "one million" (and loosely the whole poem) is a reference to the one million victims of the genocide in Rwanda, who were killed in ten days in 1994.


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My dreams ravage my head,
of lions eating me&babies eating me
of things to sniff and laugh at
of friends I know not the name of.

My dreams ravage my head,
I awake to see a pale visage
that I suspect is nought but a mirage
but I fear to lay down my head
in case my dreams ravage my head.

Things stop that have never started,
chimerical figures appear to disappear
and my outstretched hand is suddenly ripped off, as
my dreams ravage my head.

And as I sit here with you
and as I day dream of you
a million murdered bodies
a million murdered souls
come to me to cry

And then today I awoke
laughter seemed to sit up and say hello,
and I smiled because I was scared, because
my dreams, they ravage my head.






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Comments by other Members



joanie at 12:07 on 26 October 2004  Report this post
laura, I think the repetition makes this very effective; dreams/nightmares do have this effect, I suppose, becoming all-powerful and dominating.

I liked the reference to both day and night dreams.

I like the last verse, especially and I smiled because I was scared, because my dreams, they ravage my head, because it made me think.

I like it.

joanie



laurafraser at 18:27 on 26 October 2004  Report this post
Thank-you Joanie

Souchong at 20:35 on 26 October 2004  Report this post
i like the line 'things stop that have never started'. as joanie said, thought provoking.
souchong

laurafraser at 21:17 on 26 October 2004  Report this post
thank-you souchong i didn't actually have goal in mind with this poem (actually that seems to be the case with all my poetry...for better or worse!) the first two lines came into my head as i was having breakfast this morning and then just came up to the computer and the rest followed,(have been meaning to write a poem about the rwandan genocide and this is loosely based on my reaction when i went out there a coouple of weeks ago) wasn't sure if it was a time waster so i am glad that you liked it
thank-you for reading
laura

Fearless at 12:20 on 27 October 2004  Report this post
Effective, especially as the repetition reminds one of the repeated executions, slayings, the swinging action of murder by machete, and the fact that each brutal act was repeated again and again, as night follows day. I challenge you to write one, from the POV of the murdering mob's well of hatred.

Write on, Fearless


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