The Dreamtime Poem by A.page Montgomery

The Dreamtime



The aboriginal, surreal, arboreal time
Before we had words, life was about visions-
Dreaming and waking so close,
They were indivisible-
A single consciousness
When I was enwombed, my embryonic sight
Was the same as other creatures
It was then that I knew the dreamlife of dolphins
Like a monk's meditation, a mind that can't be written-
With no words to separate,
No words to segregate,
No words to suffocate
I have a love-hate relationship with words-
Language gauges my isolation
From the aggregate spirit
If my dreamtime hadn't been interrupted
By words that define life-
That categorically confine life,
I would have been an autistic artist-
All of my neurons devoted to painting
The images of the dreamtime-
The wakeful sleep-time
With no urge to awaken,
I'd subsist on dreams-
I'd dream to exist
With no need to explain,
And no reason to write this

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Elin Grimes 22 October 2013

Do you have aboriginal heritage? Having been to Aus I know a bit about Aboriginal culture so I understand what you're getting at here. This is a really beautifully written, insightful poem about what it's like for someone of Aboriginal background to be in the Westernised culture of Australia. At least that was my interpretation. The ending is just perfect in my opinion. This is one of the most interesting, original and cliché-free poems in the contest, I'm voting this as 'Excellent' and wish you the best of luck in the competition.

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Ramesh Rai 09 October 2013

Dream time are always fabulous if you are dreaming some good. a good write.

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Gajanan Mishra 10 September 2013

love hate relationship with words, thanks, good write.

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