Are All Accounted For In the Moon? (into dream) – (poem)

by Stephen J Frankenberry

So returning to the art of Catrin Welz-Stein in a latest prompt at dVerse Poets, four paintings to choose from and then write away as you will on one or more.

Are All Accounted For In the Moon? (to dream)

The Captain called us all aboard at eyes shut wide

Déjà vu?

aboard captain, again

again

Ennui?

here Sir, ready to break free

Regret?

here (sigh)

you’re late

sorry Sir

Amalgam of youth?

(in unison) on deck

from where tonight?

(in unison in unison) a toss of year(s) Sir

Fear? … Oh, stop … we’re just flying into dream

but …?

You can run, you can stall, you can trip, you can fall

quiet

from heavens through clouds

or from small atolls

aloud …  

… but it’s always too real for us all

… you’ll still wake, I’ll almost promise you daylight’ll still call

Anger? No, I know you’re aboard

!!!!!

Artists in color?

ready to paint vibrant Sir

Artists in black and white?

ready to paint an absence

Singers?

just off key Sir, enough

Joy? You still in with this company?

always Sir,

happy self sycophancy

.

The moon was more than willing to be yoked as an ox

or reined as a braided guilded horse

or bridled an ass

or even boated a hung foolish ship

but tethered on deck still

of

all willing slaves of sleeping adventure, rowing

rowing

a ship of nonsense,

or import

all equal for transport,

all equal

to what might come

tonight on light seas, nay, oceans of drama dream

discovery …

.

The Captain called us all aboard at eyes wide shut

again

Déjà vu? Is that you?

it is Sir

again

33 thoughts on “Are All Accounted For In the Moon? (into dream) – (poem)”

  1. Frankenberry, this reads like a Gilbert & Sullivan musical had a baby with Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits. Surrealistic, entertaining, and most of all funny as hell. Thanks for joining in and painting a lovely patina on that image.

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  3. This is absolutely brilliant! I love how you’ve taken concepts and abstractions and made them characters in a weird, surreal drama of sorts. Bravo!

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  9. Excellent! These are my favorite parts:

    “… you’ll still wake, I’ll almost promise you daylight’ll still call”

    “Artists in color?

    ready to paint vibrant sir

    Artists in black and white?

    ready to paint an absence

    Singers?”

    Sometimes I dream in black and white, or cartoons. Come to think of it, the cartoons are when I dream in black and white. The mind is a beautiful thing.

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  12. Wow, that was a ride! I love the choice of image as inspiration and these lines stood out for me…”all equal / to what might come / tonight on light seas, nay, oceans of drama dream / discovery”

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  15. I love the art of Catrin Welz-Stein, Stephen, and really enjoyed your surreal ekphrastic poem. I especially like the idea of the moon as a dream-space-ship, and the phrase ‘at eyes shut wide’.

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