I dreamt last night I was in
a ribbon-stitched competition
& though its details are lost
to the murky meanderings
of sleep, the image of her cheering
the loudest in the crowd
stayed with me
through the morning.
I’m tempted by stubborn clocks
that tick on lemon-kissed walls
to believe the world changes
in the sunlight, but no matter the hour
I hear her over the noise
enthusiastically
calling me home.
© 2022 | Phillip Knight Scott
Shay’s Word Garden Word List #9 (Joan Colby): clocks, kissed, ribbon, stitched, tempted
Often Mumbled Musings 
I really enjoyed this – that moment between dream and awake when you don’t quite want to get up and let go of the dream
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The mood in this is soft yet immediate and real. Somewhere in our minds, our dreams find our secrets and show us. I especially like the lemon-kissed walls, and the entire last stanza.
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Thanks so much!
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Oh this is lovely! And i understand just what you mean. Just as a nightmare can stay with us all morning like an unpleasant smell, a wonderful dream can lift our spirits for hours afterward. There are some things I will never do again due to my age, but in dreams i still get to do them sometimes and it’s marvelous.
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Thanks so much and maybe that’s enough 🙂
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Ah, I think all of us at point or another have all been in that in between state. Nice work.
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I often try falling back asleep after an early morning dream … coaxing my subconscious to continue the story. It works more often than one might imagine. Love your poem.
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Thanks so much, Helen 🙂 I’ve never had luck picking up a dream where I leave off but maybe that lets me make up my own ending.
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This is beautiful Phillip! Dreams can definitely stick with us, bad or good. I always find poetry about dreams to be wonderful! I feel the same about this one!
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Thank you so much, Carrie! That’s so very nice 🙂
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Oh, I really like this poem, Phillip!
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“I’m tempted by stubborn clocks
that tick on lemon-kissed walls” – nice!
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Thanks!
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“I’m tempted by stubborn clocks
that tick on lemon-kissed walls
to believe the world changes”
those are some really nice lines. i like the overall feel of this poem, not quite awake and not ready to let go of dream, very nice
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Thanks so much, Phillip 🙂
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Whatever else you said in the poem, my favorite part:
“I’m tempted by stubborn clocks
that tick on lemon-kissed walls”
I also like the warmth of her nearness whether asleep or awake. I’m only guessing but it feels like this is about your mom. “Calling me home” can be taken a couple of different ways and I like the ambiguousness of how you leave it.
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Thanks so much 🙂 I like to leave a bit ambiguousness and your guess that it’s about my mom is certainly an interesting one!
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You’re very welcome.
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Beautiful work, love your work with such a few words. ❤️🤗
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Thanks so much Joni!
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