After finishing The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare's ghost haunted me to write in iambic pentameter. So finally, at last, here is the sonnet I promised. Before you read it, feel welcome to read my interpretation and inspiration or just dive right into the poem. (I would.)
INTERPRETATION:
I do not normally explain my poems because I enjoy hearing my readers' multiple interpretations, but I am making an exception today. My poem is about the psychology of sleeping and how there are five different stages. I refer to these stages as "doors". The fifth stage "door" is mentioned at the octave of the sonnet because that is when REM begins.
Furthermore, notice that the first word I chose is "exhaling" and the last word is "hallucination". I always found it interesting that some scientists theorize that the hallucinogen DMT may be naturally produced in the pineal gland when one is dreaming or having a near death experience. So question whether or not the speaker of my poem is really dreaming or under the influence.
INSPIRATION:
Besides the psychology of sleeping and the science behind DMT, I was deeply inspired by two more things. First, I fell madly in love with Shakespeare's sonnet: Sonnet XLIII (Great website). Secondly, I was deeply moved by this beautiful work of art: Door Within a Door. Reminds me of my analogy.
Enjoy,
SONNET I:
Exhaling my day's thoughts into the night--
The sense of falling startled me awake,
But then my mind becalmed from the stage fright.
Entranced, I could not tell real from fake.
I opened a door that appeared unlocked,
Behind it came three more doors, so it seemed.
Through each one, my mind deepened as I walked.
Finally, I passed the fifth door and dreamed.
Dreamed of memories and patterns that swirled,
Lost fragments from a time-space hurricane,
People who lived on a parallel world,
Created by a compound in my brain.
Will I ever find an explanation?
A lucid dream or hallucination?
P.S. Real is two syllables. American Heritage Dictionary: Real
0 comments:
Post a Comment