Sometimes I write down a dream that I remember. There was a period when I wrote them down regularly. The more I wrote them down, the more I would remember. That's how it seems to work. I fell out of the habit. I also sleep better, usually, but not always.
Dreams are like poems. I am not schooled in the intricacies and history of poetry. Once in a while I pick up a poetry book and look it over, especially if its something someone has recommended to me. Poets tend to be a very politically active lot. I suspect you can learn more about politics from poets than from some other professional.
Appreciating poetry is something to cultivate. Poems are complex, brightly simple, secretly referential, intentionally confusing, erotic, all these things. They are something to savor. Poems require your attention, and that's a hard thing to drum up. We tend to want to relax. Reading a poem can be hard work.
'Dream Deferred' by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Painting by Henryk Fantazos
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