Geometric Dreaming


Unending lines, vast voids, shapes
meddle with my mind
and ghost an odd geometry,
the same that sometimes 
twitch when a sudden waking 
decapitates a dream. 

Time dilates or shrinks
to a tiny dot pulling all
into its orbit then ruptures
into a rainbow, each strand 
of color winding tighter
and tighter around my head.

It's the sense
of not being able to fit back
into the space where I belong,
when I become either too small 
or too big or somehow 
utterly change in shape.

Such disorientation lingers,
never quite forming into a coherent 
thought but floats the boundaries 
like a mist clouding
the fevered brain of a child who,
emerging from hallucination,

cannot give form to the terror.
A part of me remains there
held in the thick webs of a dream,
at times breaking through the surface
of sleep into where my waking mind
holds me, fearful, 
frothed in the real.



Note.
This poem takes “geometric nightmares 
and/or dreams” as its subject. I have had
these most of my life and what I once thought to be rare are apparently experienced by many.
The poem probably won't make much sense without having a little knowledge
of the phenomenon.  Almost impossible to
describe the dream experience in words
and the residual distortions that linger 
after waking.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

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Lawless Avatar
October 24, 2024 at 6:47 AM
so this is why I always hated Geometry. I believe I now have a "name" for some of the endless (seemingly) nightmares that follow me
Willason Avatar
November 1, 2024 at 5:52 AM
Geometry and Algebra were my demons and they came back to haunt me...I hid in literature but this put my imagination on steroids. Can't win, although words are my medicine. Cheers my friend, take care..
Lane Avatar
October 24, 2024 at 3:03 AM
Oh my, Paul. How often do you have these alarming dreams? I rarely dream, probably because I don't sleep deeply enough or for more than a few hours. You must feel terribly disoriented after waking, or while waking and then returning to find yourself still wrapped in that web. Is there a med to help rid you of them, or at least curb their intensity?
Willason Avatar
November 1, 2024 at 5:39 AM
Suffered frequent episodes when youg...growing less so as I aged...now get the occasional visit though the impact is less stressful...familiarity deadens the anxiety a bit. Have always been a vivid dreamer and this particular type always wanted to find a way out...hence the poem. Thankyou Lin for yr kind and considerate words...sincerely appreciated.
M  Avatar
October 24, 2024 at 1:33 AM
Hi Paul….l have never heard of Geometric dreaming. You explained it well and it left me feeling uneasy as it sounds quite frightening to me. Have you got used it after a lifetime or does it distress you still? Its very interesting Paul…..Debx
Willason Avatar
November 1, 2024 at 5:27 AM
As a child it was terrifying...frequent visitations, many fever induced, others came from more buried places. These days rather infrequent and of course I have got used to them. A recent one prompted the poem. I debated whether to post but hey...what the heck...might have landed in the lap of a fellow traveller in the wilds of geometric distortion or stirred some interest. Thankyou my dear friend for reading and for your caring words...valued.
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