What Would Carl Jung Say?
I dreamt I cut off my ear
the way I casually cut fabric
or slice a potato
which made me ask
what other ways do I self-harm?
What other impulsive act
can’t be taken back?
What don’t I want to hear?
I saved the evidence
but forgot what it was intended for
so I tucked it into the trash
like a bloody sanitary pad
and hid the shame behind my hair
A gateway to harder partings?
A forgotten deal made?
A card laid on the table?
Does it take a death
to generate interest?
‘The sadness will last forever’
said Vincent Van Gogh
before he died of a wound made visible
a gamble of high stakes
Do we lose to win
until we have nothing left to give?
Do we pay down our debt
with parts of our self?
Do we give up our borrowed miracles
while starry night lights go out
while fading sunflowers bow
and our busywork
winds down?
___________Colleen Redman / Poets and Storytellers United /dVerse Poets Pub
August 5th, 2022 2:47 am
Oh, I think sadness lasts forever! But then, perhaps so does joy. Or the memory of joy, which is nearly as good.
August 5th, 2022 5:29 am
Van Gogh was so right… sadness stays and stays and perhaps knowing how long it has endured makes it even heavier to carry… joy is less lasting I think.
August 5th, 2022 11:12 am
A dig deep intriguing question you have posed .. causing me much deep thought this morning. Be well.
August 5th, 2022 4:27 pm
“What don’t I want to hear?” I have a suspicion that this question is at my core and it is a scary one. Powerful writing.
August 5th, 2022 5:54 pm
I know that I’ve processed a lot of heartache through dreams, even the nonsensical ones. And I do agree with Rosemary. The grief stays but so does joy.
August 5th, 2022 7:01 pm
I don’t necessarily think sadness lasts forever. That was Van Gogh’s desperate comment before he died after shooting himself and after he cut his ear off, the reference here. My dream interpretation was more questioning the surprising cutting off of my own ear. Maybe a down payment for all the parts not meant to last forever and the functioning we lose as we come closer to disappearing entirely?
August 6th, 2022 10:04 am
According to Jung: “… great artists make it abundantly clear that the creative urge is often so imperious that it battens on their humanity and yokes everything to the service of the work, even at the cost of health and ordinary human happiness”. But whether artist or not, pieces of us can be taken through our own actions and nebulous self-worth.
August 6th, 2022 10:18 am
I too have had dreams that make one wonder about life, the trials and tribulations. To me dreams are the gateway to the soul and here we can find lost pieces of self.
I recently went to the Van Gogh experience and his work was truly amazing and came from a part of deepest self expression.
August 6th, 2022 12:07 pm
A lot of interpretations could evolve from such a dream and the poem digs deep into some very interesting possibilities. I enjoyed the inquiry. The last stanza is breathtaking.
August 6th, 2022 12:48 pm
I like how you end the poem.
Perhaps it is this sense of worthlessness that drives one over the edge.
makes me think of those that walks into the suicide forest.
August 6th, 2022 12:58 pm
No worthlessness in my mind. It’s more that we’re all headed that way. We just take different routes.
August 6th, 2022 9:45 pm
I think we are stubborn. Opportunities present themselves to learn the lessons we need to learn but we turn a deaf ear to them. I wonder what lessons Vince resisted… Thought-provoking dream and I like how you laid out the possibilities of what it means to you.
August 8th, 2022 8:28 am
This is so powerful. The Van Gogh references are woven in so well, the imagery is fantastic. Love this
August 8th, 2022 2:08 pm
This really made me think. So many pertinent questions raised. Love how the dream led to Van Gogh.
August 12th, 2022 10:02 am
So many questions. Such deep thoughts . Makes me think too. And I wonder at wisdom of the author