Creating Poetry from Dreams

Resource: "Do you have your dreams for English?" by
Rosemary Hayes. In, Satan Is Left—Handed: Selections
from   Ten   Years  of  the  Newsletter.  (Association  of
Humanistic    Psychology,    325    Ninth    Street,   San
Francisco, CA 94103. $3.)

     Ms. Hayes'  instructions  to her  students  of Creative
Writing  are  quite simple. First, write about your dream,
giving   visual  details, describing  the characters, telling
what happens. Then treat the dream  as a "vision of truth"
and explore the meaning  of  the dream.  To do these two
things she suggests that you first take  a  few  minutes to
go  inside  yourself  and   recapture   the  feeling  of   the
dream  in all  its drama.  Then  write  as  fast  as possible,
without concern for literary style.
     Then, to write  a  poem,  edit  this  material, selecting
the "most vital" aspects of  the dream and the "most vivid
wording."  Arrange  this  selected  material  into  a poem.
Don't   try    to   make   rhymes.    "Squeeze    out"   every
unnecessary   word.   Ms.  Hayes   cautions   not   to   be
concerned if you  feel  that  what  you  have written  isn't
"poetry."

Inspirational Writing from a Dream

 Resource:   "Dream   Realization:  A   Meditation   for
Inspirational Writing in  a Dream  Journal," by Henry
Reed. Sundance Community Dream Journal, Fall, 1976.

     Using   key  words  from  your  dream,   try  writing  a
freeform   poem  about  yourself,  relative  to  the theme
that   is   expressed   in    the   title   of  your  dream.  The
procedure given is  to begin by locating the key words in
your dream record,  titling your dream, and  then making
up as  many sentences about yourself as you can that use
at least one of the key words.

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