Bilbo’s dream
and
in the dream
the hobbit wandered room
to room
looking for something
and not finding
it
and if a dream is working out by night
what
we can’t solve by day
then
what is it the hobbit wanted that
took a dream of blank spaces to find
well
to find what
or is a need expressed
to be on the move somehow
somewhere
maybe
to a lonely mountain
lonely
as his life
to look for something there
not so much treasure since
he’s well-to-do
but
the story of the treasure
then the quest
to find it
dealing with adventure on the way
and clear evil toward
the end
and to be done
everything rescued
deserving rescue
and
the halfling goes home
now out of
but having to tell
the story
won’t be as lonely anymore
with
mementos and
memories turned into
pages
and who knows what friendships
so to keep if neighbors go
on
thinking
he’s a strange one
anyone with Took then Tookishness
inside might disappear perhaps
a while
and now
he’s returned
Bilbo does disappear
or so
it seems from time to time and now
we hear of a big party in the making and
those with young imaginations
might recall
the wizard who arrived
before
and launched fireworks with
shapes both to fright
and
well
delight
everything dreamworthy now if with
some nightmares
added from the unanticipated parts
of stories
which
he might not have thought
of
even hearing at his own unexpected party
that dragons by day yet
terrify
note
then dreams of home might not
come across
so confusing now
since
he knows where he is
at last
or will Bilbo wander
time to time
through Bag End in waking dreams
still
looking as
any might look for something
and
not find it
yet
c l couch
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (Chapter 4—and I’m writing from recall, since my copies of The Hobbit got mildewed; so where I might get text-details wrong, I’m sorry; where it’s interpretation, I cannot apologize except in the classic way of apologies, which is to explain)
photo by bypalm on Unsplash
supernal
rainy day
now how about windy
cold
you know
seasonal
autumnal
the coolness of fall in
the MidAtlantic
leaves trying to turn
but
needing the first frost or
really
just before
cool brilliance
cold
fire colors
dragon’s breath on leaves
they fly by at night
autumnal
serpents
breathing gently
(for
a dragon)
keeping the undersides
dark
scattered stars
the only things
not
to see
then to glide away
so we may warm by sight
and
smell the clarity of morning
with trees burning fall’s
consumption
only
and maybe
as
not
too soon
winter’s investment
c l couch
photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
a dragon’s invitation to come out to play, plus there’s a prayer for Friday (any day)
Behind Me through the Window on a Rainy Day
I hear hissing
Outside
Tires on the wet street
No
A dragon
Skulking
Hunting
Hissing
Come out
Tiny humans
To play
I have some games
For you
Come up on my back
Between my wings
I’ll give you rides
Come out
I need breakfast
I mean
I need companionship
For play
You haven’t seen or heard
Such as me
Have you
Come closer
Then
Leave your chores
We’ll have fun
I know I will
And so should you
With me
Long and tall
And armored all
In green
Wouldn’t you like to touch
Come closer
Then
Come closer
Don’t mind the claws
Or teeth
Though you should
Look
Into my eyes
We’ll fly
And then return
No more than an hour
You trust the word
Of dragons
Don’t you
Then come out
Hey, There
(we say hey in Kentucky)
Hi
God
To be familiar
With the
Lord and majesty
Of all
But
Anyway
It’s Friday
How are you
I mean today
Is Friday
I think you know
My name
And I am wondering
(to pray)
If I could have
A dull and normal
Life
Just now
And for a while
For I could fill it on my own
With toys
Ideas
And things
And let the noise outside
Be mine
When I got out
To play
Or simply for a stretch
Because I really am
Working inside
This all takes hours
To do
And I could use the normal world
Suburban world
Dull world
To be itself for a while
So I could work
Create
In fact
To fill in all the spaces
That the boring leaves between
All normal acts
And spaces
And what about the wars
So far away
And outbreaks of disease
Where care is
Thin
And even water
Is a treasure
That is brokered
By the already wealthy
Or left ignored
Running thin
And questionable
In its own
Chemistry
While the war
I’m lucky
Must be somewhere else
I have not been shot
Though there have been
Carwrecks
To which the yelling world
Says
So what
Here
There is the wounding
And the dying
And the destruction
Of whole towns
That might as well
Slide into
The maw of hell
Where
They shall be living
Upon the surface
Of a desolate
A pitted
Earth
And there are other things
Such as
Nature going mad
And I’ve missed most of that
As well
Though in ‘96
There was that snowstorm
Closed the roads
For days
But I was inside
Where there was power
Food
Enough space to work
Even if the resting
Went uneasily
Until resumption of
An open world
For me
And mine
So I am lucky
How things miss me
How I was born
Into a quiet state
And have
Stayed that way
Through my life
Lucky
For the scars I have
From heart attacks
And other scares
All right
The trauma
Even the PTSD
Diagnosed
But still
My neighborhood
Is not entrenched
Except
For politics
While explosion are a
Matter of the traffic light
Outside
And the floods have not moved
Through
Except for hate of difference
Suspicion
Of our neighbors
That in this era
We do not reach out
So much
To know
And you live differently
And I hope well
And better
And could the world be better
If war and nature
Could be easy
Nonexistent
Even
Except for strategies
In rhetoric
Winning our arguments
Alone
C L Couch
Photo by Laith Abushaar on Unsplash
The Dragon Year
Would you like
To make friends with a dragon?
Flying with it
Perched somehow
Between its wings?
The thing is
Well,
The thing is
It’s a dragon
It’s big
It’s long
It has scales
It’s powerful
With wings
And claws
And when it chooses
Exhaling fire
An aircraft carrier
In the ocean
Between islands
Might let
The dragon land
While sailors worry about
This temporary
Guest
And those in planes
Might worry,
Too,
About what’s flying
Next to them
That waves with wings
While the sun
Blinks off its armor
And its talons
But mostly
It is a matter of
What’s really inside
The dragon
As in
What are its intentions?
What is it plan?
Dragons are powerful
But it’s the good
Or bad
We might have
To know
Before deciding
How close
And is it possible
To be a friend with it
Maybe if it’s lying down,
You could move
Closer to its head
To talk
Maybe to have
Its name
And give it yours
And ask,
Well,
What are its plans?
Maybe it’s here
For a year on Earth
Before
Going on to other worlds
Maybe some
That are replete with flying serpents
Maybe one world that is
Its first home
Maybe
While it’s here
It will
Teach us about power
That it is neither
Good
Nor
Bad
But we must make it so
We must decide
And it will not make us choose
But sort of
Sit and stand
And fly, of course,
To show that power
Is immense
Sometimes
And sometimes
It will be there
Sitting
Standing
Flying
Ready for us
To be good
Or bad
With it
So that
Enormous questions
For the answers
Might be ours
As in
What are our intentions?
What are our plans?
And so we have this dragon
To consider
Maybe
Maybe to ride upon
As well
If we can negotiate
The wonder
And also,
Well,
To think about the dragons
We have made:
Our larger things
And all
That we can do
With these
While we have this special year
With our magic,
Divine
Visitor
That might protect
Even defend us
Should we learn the language
And the manner
In dealing with dragons
Like this dragons
Or the dragons
We must own
Now and
Once it’s left us for
Another year
And more,
That is,
Eleven more
During which with
All the more enormous
Creatures
Of our own
We’ll be creaturing
C L Couch
Photo by Michael Buillerey on Unsplash
Binondo, Manila, Philippines
Westmarch
sometimes I wish
I were a
well-to-do hobbit
except for
the living
in the ground
even a comfort-home
in there
would aggravate
most likely
claustrophobia
as being carried by
an eagle
would invoke
the other
unreasoned fear I have
but still
to have a day
to write a book
of my adventures
having had
adventures
first
and to have tea
close at hand
with cakes
and at a table
by the window
with my pens
(all right
computer)
and paper
at my side
and on which
I write
(well
type)
and maybe to have
friends
who come to call
for friendly reasons
only
I hear their stories
while
I also think
on dragons
Dwarves
and Elves
and wistfully
believe
I should be somewhere else
with them
c l couch
photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash
I am trying the “Verse” option in WordPress, because in part I think I should; and at least I miss having to type Xes for spaces. I’m not sure how it’s going; I’m not sure what you receive, even though I proofread graphically as well. I’ll keep trying. Thanks for reading.
Tollers
Yesterday
His birthday
The day before
My brother’s
For who shall be
My brother
Well
My brother
Though I could meet
Him
In the Bird and Baby
As in a pub
He met
With Dracula
(a good story
that)
And I shall send a card
To my brother
Through electrons
And there shall be
Good wishing
In a meeting
With him
Too
That may
Or may not happen
Though we know
We can’t see
Tollers
Save on pages
And having seen
His son
Once
At a conference
At which I read
A paper
About riddles
C L Couch
notes
Henry V, Act IV, Scene 3.18 ff
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973
Steven Eric Couch, 2 January
Photo by Tarik Haiga on Unsplash [kind of mixing up Tolkien’s use of dragons with the Year of the Dragon approaching]
(x = space)
x
x
Sleeper Awake
x
It’s 69 degrees
(Fahrenheit)
At (twelve-oh-five, we say)
12:05
x
Fall arrives
And hobbits,
The birthdays
Of the Bagginses
x
New season
With an equinox
Autumnal
To complement
The vernal
By a half,
Half a year,
Half a world
x
We tilt into another
And existentially
A new one
x
We have not had
Today
Or this changing
Of the Earth
Around 11
Post-meridian
x
Here is the same season
As a new one,
New seconds
Newly breathed
Into hours
And an age
Collectively
x
Spring to the south,
Autumn
To the north where
Where there
Might be dragons
In their lairs.
Then
We bring in cold air
And awaken them
x
We think fall
Might be the readiness
For freezing,
Sleeping winter;
And yet
(like new school years
for young ones
and for teachers)
Here and now
The adventure,
The quest
Might begin
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Hans Isaacson on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
Missing Magic
x
Well, that was a clutter
Messages, groceries by the door
Coffeemaker, toaster
And nearly all of it
I slept through
Catching the final beep
From the phone
Signaling that
So many things had happened
In my Prufrock world
I don’t have a peach
And the part is in the middle
I’ve only heard the mermaid sing
In the Disney movie
But there is color outside
And cool air to breathe
x
And I shall go
Not
To strive or find
Yes, not
To yield
I doubt there will be a grail,
Either
Or a dragon
And if a dragon, we should
Become acquainted
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Artiom Vallat on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
No Tricks
x
God help us
God will help us
If we ask
x
Though God is not a raven
Or a spider
Or a god who wants
To play immortal pranks
In Asgard
x
God is closer to a dragon:
Power contained,
Always ready for release
Of power
Or of learning
Then
Reveal
x
Guardian of treasures,
Keeper of wisdom
x
What do we want—
What do we want of God?
God is curled up to rest
Or stretched
While flying through the sky
And so much higher
Without need for air
x
Would we like to go,
Would we like to ride with God?
x
We might have to go through
A mountain,
First,
Or out until we find
A howling island
x
Or inside
Our capillaries
x
Once there,
Mind your manners
Around dragons
x
C L Couch
x
x
by Battle Brook – File:Valhallas.jpg, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84903609
Valhallas’ Asgard and Midgard peaks seen from north
x
clcouch123 
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