fox dreams

fox dreams

edited by Aubrie Cox

fox dreams is a project from Yay Words! Poets were invited to submit short form poetry and artwork about foxes and/or dreams to celebrate the Inari Matsuri festival. Each poet who submitted was guaranteed at least one poem into the collection.

All poems and artwork copyright of their authors.

Cover art “Dreaming World” by C. J. C.

IntroductionDreams and foxes both charm and allude us. They appear in the corner of our eyes, only to vanish the moment we consciously register their presence. Foxes, while they run rampant in folklore and mythology, are difficult to keep on the page—they’d rather be devious! Dreams present the challenge of anchoring the abstract within the concrete. With each prompt I give on Yay Words! it’s my goal to challenge and inspire. I try to select two themes that are a little unusual, complementary, and would make, in my humble opinion, for good poems.

Every time, I always secretly worry that perhaps I’ve chosen something too difficult, or uninteresting. But, of course, so many of you rose to the challenge fearlessly with beautiful words and imagery. Thank you for continuing to wow and inspire me.

May you all keep dreaming fantastic things.

Aubrie Cox22 April, 2012

“All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together.”

—Jack Kerouac

1

gatheringdream fragmentsin my mind’s eye...a sheet of white paperwith many coloured pens

Kirsten Cliff

Rain falls hardI’m paper-foldingmy fox’s tail

Dora Bampali

2

public park—to see a foxI shut my eyes

Andrea Cecon

dreamwork:two inflatable animalsbite one another

Michael Nickels-Wisdom

3

recurringdream#16.333iso/overbreakfast

Alan Summers

dream speak...sunlight on the opening

tulip’s tips

Kirsten Cliff

4

spring forwardan hour lostin delta-waves

Terri L. French

dreamless sleep...drifting in and outof birdsong

Cara Holman

5

middaydreamsthe forgotten meltof iced teafrom within my handsa note to say I miss you

Kathy Nguyen

6 haiga by Bette Norcross Wappner

7haiga by Christine L. Villa

8

If a fox dreamt, dreamswhat dreams would he dream?Fancy forest resorts, air-conditioned caves andbaby rabbits cooked in cream.

Sapna

did somebody die?waking to fears of murderI hear the foxes

Dru Marland

9

red fox dreamthe rustle of micethrough the den

Martin Gottlieb Cohen

things lost in the movea fox trots offwith its kill

Jennifer Corpe

10

stealing awayfrom my yard again, little fox!first blossoms

Stella Pierides

storytimefalling for the foxopen-mouthed

Peter Newton

11

fox huntthe beagle chasesa butterfly

Terri L. French

12

surprised—coming around the barnme and the fox

Jerry Dreesen

after my dream,fox printson the verandah

Michael Dylan Welch

13

virgin snowa fox makes printsfor the morning

Alan Summers

art by Dru Marland

14

recurring test dream:no #2 penciland I’m naked

Mark E. Brager

flying fox . . .his inexplicablelaughter

Margaret Dornaus

15

the office tricksteris drinking again…as he turns awayI double-checkfor his tail

Christina Nguyen

askingfor a fox poemgives me paws

Lucas Stensland

16

spring spreedancing the foxtroton the moon

Maria Santomauro

a night on the townslicker than the city elveschecking my tie in the windowof the Polish grocery and whisperingO FoxTrue Fox

Marie Marshall

17

pub crawltwo lonely guysfox hunting

Johnny Baranski

infoxidating

Peter Newton

a fox headon the barroom wall . . .her number blurred

Michael Dylan Welch

18

dawn dreamthe redhead fluffsher tail

Susan Murata

she shapeshiftsfrom a fox to a girl—one more round!

Wayne Chou

19

after a night ripped apartby the quarreling foxesthe dawnsoundless and softas the cockerel’s feathers

Dave Serjeant

20

the police car slows—urban foxeslooting from bins

Dave Serjeant

My mother opened the doorto meet a red fox fleeing to the suburbswhen the forest was cut down to make a subdivision.I am sureshe haunted his dreams.

Sid Kemp

21

fox prints...I release my dreamsto the dawn

Cara Holman

22

late to schoolwe drive fast through the dark—fox shadow

Yousei Hime

sunrisedreaming the fox awayfrom the road

Melissa Allen

23haiga by Angie Werren

24

thunder snowthe wind-shifting scentof fox

Alan Summers

wolves gnawingat my dream . . .singing bowls

Randy Brooks

25

chasing your veiled facethrough the landscapeof snow dreamsfox tracks lead usdeep into hearts den

Carmella Braniger

26

fox moonmust it always bethis lightthat draws your anguishso feared so misunderstood?

your pawson thawing banks the tractsyou left for meas if I’ve lost you inthe moon’s shifting moods

silencethe midnight wind sendsyou howlingalways you miss my whispersshushing your longings

fox moonAlegria Imperial

27

in dappled shadowsthe fire burns in your eyessinges rustling leavesyou step in the moonlightwhere we lay down your embers

come out of hidingwhat greater fate is therethat awaitsthan for us to bare our desireswe live for this and this alone

28

somewherea light in the forest . . .foxfire

Margaret Dornaus

29doodleku by Terri L. French

30

kitsunefrom her dark hipthe moon’s curve

Martin Gottlieb Cohen

kitsunein the mistlightfootedbetween dreamsand waking

Wayne Chou

31

mischievous fox that I lovecome to me this nightwhisper your dreams into melet me run with you

kitsune in the mist, your eyestwinkle in time with my heart

KC Sloan

32

fireflies . . .the dreams I hadas a child

Chad Lee Robinson

she hides her tailsunder her kimonospring festival

Wayne Chou

33

on our wayto a fox weddingI dreamedyour facebefore you were born

Carmella Braniger

34

Inariby the village wellI bark at the moonstop this ragged yappingso I might sing your song

Inariat the temple gateI flick my soft earslet me shed this useless peltto walk among them a woman

Inariunder the sacred treeI swish my nine tailsgive me a second chanceas a human wife and mother

The Kitsune's PleaChristina Nguyen

35

snow moonthe silence betweenthe vixen’s cries

Dave Serjeant

36

my daydreamscarry me placesi’ve never beenwandering Sicilian villagesi search for grandmother

Pamela A. Babusci

foxhole—in my dream I can seeyou too clearly

Margaret Dornaus

37

in my dream,the father I didn’t knowis there and not there

Michael Nickels-Wisdom

moonlightI’ve had this conversationin a dream

Steve Mitchell

38

Nobody has really lived until they’ve had the pleasure of crawling around on hands and knees in a dark tent at three in the morning, shining a flashlight in all corners to look for bugs, while thirteen slightly hysterical nine-year-old Cub Scouts look on.

“It was over there,” one says, “and it was this big.”

“No, this big.”

“I saw it flying around.”

“I want to go home.”

shadows on the wallin shifting patternsevery nightI go home again in my dreams

Where the Heart IsCara Holman

39

dreaming againa houseI never knew

Daphne Purpus

falling dream the alarm clock catches me

Mark E. Brager

40

art b

y K

ris K

ondo

41

foxes hiding...gentle breezes ripple their tails

Kris Kondo

42

autumn lakedusk settles on the red fox

Martin Gottlieb Cohen

fox hunt—the painter’s brushdipped in ochre

Michael Dylan Welch

43

red fox by the waterseeing doublein my dreams

Kris Kennedy

44

The snow tells usa fox has found the pathwe made in summer

Kris Lindbeck

a fox followsthe path of least resistanceinto my dreams

Sid Kemp

45

weeping willowI wake up laughingfrom a dream

Christine L. Villa

46

if my brother had dreamsbeyond his youthhe never spoke of them—the riverstill cold in June

Chad Lee Robinson

sick bedhis shadow just reachesthe dream catcher

Mark E. Brager

47

Dream CatcherKirsten Cliff & Cara Holman

crosswindsstruggling not to recall

last night’s dream

the morning skyfilled with rain

drifting fogwhere does the dream end

and I begin

dream catcherI tell myself whatI want to believe

across dandelioned fieldsa hawk’s shadow

river reedsweaving daydreams

into stories

48

a dandelionbehind her earshe has so many dreamsto sharewith me

Randy Brooks

youthful dreams drifting awayimpressions remain on her heart

Karen Chandler

49

childhood friendher dream of beingsomewhere else

Peter Newton

dreamcatcherthe feathered lightso soft on her faceI’d grant all of her wishesif only I could

Cara Holman

50

in my dreamrunning scaredthrough a wildflower fieldthis morning is thefirst day of chemo

Pamela A. Babusci

yellow poppybreaks from its shellwhat I’d forgottenfrom lastnight’s dream

Aubrie Cox

51

crossing the meadowto meet my brother—on my toesthe touch of grasslong after the dream

Chad Lee Robinson

52

my dreamseemed so real;clover billows

Michael Nickels-Wisdom

Links OutMelissa Allen - Red Dragonfly

Dora Bampali - turns of endearment

Johnny Baranski - @haikumonk

Randy Brooks - MU Haiku

Andrea Cecon - @andreaochka

Karen Chandler - Visioning

Kirsten Cliff - Swimming in Lines of Haiku

Martin Gottlieb Cohen - @martin1223

Aubrie Cox - Yay Words!

Margaret Dornaus - Haiku-doodle

Jerry Dreesen - Jerry Dreesen’s Art Gallery

Terri L. French - The Mulling Muse

Yousei Hime - Shiteki Na Usagi

Cara Holman - Prose Posies

Alegria Imperial - jornales

Sid Kemp - @Eternal_Spring

Kris Kennedy - Integrative Thought

Kris Lindbeck - Haiku etc.

Dru Marland - Upside Down in Cloud

Marie Marshall - Marie Marshall

Steve Mitchell - Heed Not Steve

Peter Newton - @ThePeterNewton

Christina Nguyen - A wish for the sky...

Kathy Nguyen - Poetry by Lotus

Stella Pierides - Stella Pierides

Daphne Purpus - Daphne’s Tanka Diary < http://daphnepurpus.com/>

Chad Lee Robinson - Chad Lee Robinson

Sapna - Just Another Wake-Up Call

Dave Serjeant - distant lightning

KC Sloan - Kyotzeta

Alan Summers - With Words

Christine L. Villa - Blossom Rain

Michael Dylan Welch - Graceguts

Angie Werren - feathers

CreditsThe following poems first appeared in the listed publications.

“after a night ripped apart” by Dave Serjeant Blithe Spirit 20:4

“crossing the meadow” by Chad Lee RobinsonRibbons: Tanka Society of America Journal I:4, Winter 2005, Editor’s Choice

“dream speak” by Kirsten CliffDailyHaiku Cycle 12, Nov. 4, 2011

“dreamless sleep…” by Cara HolmanA Hundred Gourds 1:1, December 2011

“fireflies . . .” by Chad Lee RobinsonThe Heron’s Nest X:1, March 2008

“if my brother had dreams” by Chad Lee RobinsonRed Lights 7:2, June 2011

“in my dream” by Pamela A. BabusciGusts, 2010

“my daydreams” by Pamela A. BabusciRibbons Tanka Cafe, 2011

“the police car slows” by Dave Serjeant Blithe Spirit 16:4

“snow moon” by Dave Serjeant Presence 44

“virgin snow” by Alan SummersIcebox, Hailstone Haiku Circle Japan, 2010; a little help from my friends, Red Dragonfly ePamphlet 2011; The Haiku Calendar 2012 (Snapshot Press)

“wolves gnawing” by Randy BrooksThe Heron’s Nest, March 2004

IndexAllen, Melissa - 22

Babusci, Pamela A. - 36, 50Bampali, Dora - 1Baranski, Johnny - 17Brager, Mark E. - 14, 39, 46Braniger, Carmella - 25, 33Brooks, Randy - 24, 48

Cecon, Andrea - 2Chandler, Karen - 48Chou, Wayne - 18, 30, 32Cliff, Kirsten - 1, 3, 47Cohen, Martin Gottlieb - 9, 30, 42Corpe, Jennifer - 9Cox, Aubrie - 50

Dornaus, Margaret - 14, 28, 36Dreesen, Jerry - 12

French, Terri L. - 4, 11, 29

Hime, Yousei - 22Holman, Cara - 4, 21, 38, 47, 49

Imperial, Alegria - 26-27

Kemp, Sid - 20, 44Kennedy, Kris - 43Kondo, Kris - 40-41

Lindbeck, Kris - 44

Marland, Dru - 8, 13Marshall, Marie - 16Mitchell, Steve - 37Murata, Susan - 18

Newton, Peter - 10, 17, 49Nickles-Wisdom, Michael - 2, 37, 52Nguyen, Christina - 15, 34Nguyen, Kathy - 5

Pierides, Stella - 10Purpus, Daphne - 39

Robinson, Chad Lee - 32, 46, 51

Santomauro, Maria - 16Sapna - 8Serjeant, Dave - 19, 20, 35Sloan, KC - 31Stensland, Lucas - 15Summers, Alan - 3, 13, 24

Villa, Christine L. - 7, 45

Wappner, Bette Norcross (b’oki) - 6Welch, Michael Dylan - 12, 17, 42Werren, Angie - 23

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