Thank you so much!! And yes, after having this dream it really stuck with me. The image of it still haunts me a little bit…the subconscious really has the strangest ways of processing trauma.
I love that you're exploring shadow work for healing ❤️ and dreams can be a very vital potent portal. From reading this I imagine we have the same wounds ❤️❤️❤️ safe travels 🖤
Thank you so much!! Going on this shadow work journey has certainly not been easy, but it's been a very necessary one nonetheless. I hope you also heal from these wounds my gothic poetess friend🖤🖤🖤
Thank you so much!! These nightmares have unsettled, disturbed, and caused me emotional pain, but it was also a form of necessary release as I go through my own personal journey of confronting the shadow self. It's not an easy experience, by any means, but it has been a fruitful one nonetheless.
There's something deeply honest about how you've woven together the vulnerability of dreams with bodily reality, especially that final image where the metaphorical bleeding becomes literal.
What strikes me most is how you've taken those night terrors, and given them form. The progression from isolation to that devastating image with the mother, then to the staining of purity, feels like it creates this arc of guilt and fear that feels universal even as it is, obviously, deeply personal. A plunge into the sub-conscious in the dark hours...
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and for reading!
This poem sort of came out of me one night and I took my most common and recent nightmares to put into form. I'm glad to know that there is something here which feels universal even in my very personal experiences. Anyone that struggles with guilt, fear, or shame might be able to understand the emotions I tapped into here.
I believe I was also reading Joseph Campbell at the time so my mind was quite primed for reflecting on the subconscious revelations that dreams bring out. It certainly felt cathartic to release into the world, and I hope to continue growing through that pain.
I suppose one of the things I'm mindful of when reflecting on people's work is that I can't speak to the specific emotions that prompted the work. I don't want to flatten, say, your experience or the emotions that led to the work. But obviously, as with all art, I can reflect on what the work made me feel. And exactly to your point, I can certainly overlay onto the work and intuit from it.
Interesting that you're reading Campbell - I'm looking at his work for not entirely dissimilar reasons. It's fascinating to look at mythic structures and stories that are universal. Your work is brilliant - and I'm glad I follow.
Hope you're doing okay, Coral, and I'll show up for your work!
That's understandable! I think from an outside perspective it's difficult to speculate accurately on the specific emotions and motivations behind a piece.
Reading Campbell most definitely led to an even deeper fascination with Carl Jung and his ideas. Particularly on the shadow self and the night sea journey. I also have another poem I will post that is more specifically on that note.
I am doing really well! Going to therapy and expressing myself through art has done me wonders. Thank you so much for you support! :)
My point around speculating on emotions was more to not suppress or undermine the emotions that prompted the work. Basically my clunky way of saying I'm not here to undermine or speak toward your feelings.
I look forward to your next poem, then! Carl Jung will definitely be of interest - his theory of selfhood is really interesting to overlay.
I'm glad that self-expression is working wonders - take care of yourself, and see you when the next one drops.
Hauntingly visceral and unapologetically raw, this piece plunges deep into the subconscious with gothic grace. Coral’s imagery is unsettling yet poetic, a brave confrontation with shadow and self. Not for the faint-hearted, but undeniably powerful.
That third stanza: so visceral and layered! I imagine working with your dreams has been a powerful tool and portal.
Thank you so much!! And yes, after having this dream it really stuck with me. The image of it still haunts me a little bit…the subconscious really has the strangest ways of processing trauma.
visceral is a wonderful word for this piece
it definitely felt very visceral that’s for sure!! thanks for reading🖤
Love this!
I don't know if you can call the ending a twist, but it was a twist mechanically haha
Thank you so much!!🖤🖤🖤
I love that you're exploring shadow work for healing ❤️ and dreams can be a very vital potent portal. From reading this I imagine we have the same wounds ❤️❤️❤️ safe travels 🖤
Thank you so much!! Going on this shadow work journey has certainly not been easy, but it's been a very necessary one nonetheless. I hope you also heal from these wounds my gothic poetess friend🖤🖤🖤
This is so visceral and melancholic. Echoes of the romantic tenor, it made me emotional. That last stanza especially was beautifully lachrymose.
(UGH YOU'RE SUCH A TALENTED POET, MY KINDRED POETESS!!)
Ahhhh!! Thank you so much Chloe!! That means a lot coming from you😭🖤🖤🖤
Freud wept. Jung hid under the covers. Brutal stuff. It reads like shadow work via nightmarish sleep paralysis.
Thank you so much!! These nightmares have unsettled, disturbed, and caused me emotional pain, but it was also a form of necessary release as I go through my own personal journey of confronting the shadow self. It's not an easy experience, by any means, but it has been a fruitful one nonetheless.
Thanks for having the courage to share it. It’s strange, powerful stuff.
There's something deeply honest about how you've woven together the vulnerability of dreams with bodily reality, especially that final image where the metaphorical bleeding becomes literal.
What strikes me most is how you've taken those night terrors, and given them form. The progression from isolation to that devastating image with the mother, then to the staining of purity, feels like it creates this arc of guilt and fear that feels universal even as it is, obviously, deeply personal. A plunge into the sub-conscious in the dark hours...
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and for reading!
This poem sort of came out of me one night and I took my most common and recent nightmares to put into form. I'm glad to know that there is something here which feels universal even in my very personal experiences. Anyone that struggles with guilt, fear, or shame might be able to understand the emotions I tapped into here.
I believe I was also reading Joseph Campbell at the time so my mind was quite primed for reflecting on the subconscious revelations that dreams bring out. It certainly felt cathartic to release into the world, and I hope to continue growing through that pain.
I suppose one of the things I'm mindful of when reflecting on people's work is that I can't speak to the specific emotions that prompted the work. I don't want to flatten, say, your experience or the emotions that led to the work. But obviously, as with all art, I can reflect on what the work made me feel. And exactly to your point, I can certainly overlay onto the work and intuit from it.
Interesting that you're reading Campbell - I'm looking at his work for not entirely dissimilar reasons. It's fascinating to look at mythic structures and stories that are universal. Your work is brilliant - and I'm glad I follow.
Hope you're doing okay, Coral, and I'll show up for your work!
That's understandable! I think from an outside perspective it's difficult to speculate accurately on the specific emotions and motivations behind a piece.
Reading Campbell most definitely led to an even deeper fascination with Carl Jung and his ideas. Particularly on the shadow self and the night sea journey. I also have another poem I will post that is more specifically on that note.
I am doing really well! Going to therapy and expressing myself through art has done me wonders. Thank you so much for you support! :)
My point around speculating on emotions was more to not suppress or undermine the emotions that prompted the work. Basically my clunky way of saying I'm not here to undermine or speak toward your feelings.
I look forward to your next poem, then! Carl Jung will definitely be of interest - his theory of selfhood is really interesting to overlay.
I'm glad that self-expression is working wonders - take care of yourself, and see you when the next one drops.
Hauntingly visceral and unapologetically raw, this piece plunges deep into the subconscious with gothic grace. Coral’s imagery is unsettling yet poetic, a brave confrontation with shadow and self. Not for the faint-hearted, but undeniably powerful.
Thank you so much!! It really was a raw delve into my subconscious, but being able to put into poetry has been healing in and of itself🖤