Charmed Chaos
Musings on Life, Love, and Linguine-Poetry & Writing
Alora
I dreamed my body was mine again
with no memories weighing me down
no jagged scars marring my alabaster skin
no mortal wounds unleashed beneath.
And as I descended further into this ghostly maze,
I found myself wielding long shimmering blades
Unlike anything I’ve ever seen, for they had replaced
my knotted and wrinkled hands.
And with these blades of wisdom, I swathed a clear path
one containing purity and grace, humming with life
to where the words of a poem so blissfully laid
there on the ground, magically created
by the hooves of a white stallion prancing and dancing.
As he shook his luminous tail and magnificent mane
Stars and planets swirled from them into an aubergine sky
Golden drops of dew fell as seeds began to sprout.
Now I glided through ripe meadows brimming with flora and fauna
and bathed in an ice-cold stream that healed my tormented soul.
And as I began to wonder why I was in this haunting place
I stirred from my deep sleep as reality crept in and wept
for there in that mysterious land where I longed to be
I was not lost, not found;
for I was never there at all.
©2023 Linda Lee Lyberg
Linda Lee Lyberg is a wife, mother, artist, published poet and author. She resides in Mesa, AZ with her husband Pete (aka The Big Viking) of 26 years and their latest rescue, Jackson “Jax” Lyberg. Linda writes various forms of poetry, as well as short stories. You can read more of her works at: charmedchaos.com and view anthologies containing her work here: Amazon Author Page
Author’s Note: For Shay’s Word Garden and dVerse Poetics
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47 Comments on “Alora”
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POETS CORNER
Charmed Chaos 
Nice one. I used to have horses. (And I used to be young.)
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Linda, this was stunning!!! I had goosebumps reading. ❤️
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Thank you Colleen!
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Oh! This was like reading a mystical vision–and then the sadness at the end. So very moving, Linda. Thank you for joining in today!
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Thank you so much, Merril.
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You’re very welcome, Linda.
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A spine-tingling poem, Linda! I love it all, especially the description of the stallion with his ‘luminous tail and magnificent mane’.
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Thank you Kim.
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Linda, I’m curious whether this was actually inspired by a dream you had. I find that certain dreams express things we otherwise might not verbalize, and they can be marvelous springboards for poems especially as some dreams magnify emotions. Anyway, your poem is breath-taking. Some purer truer version of the speaker in the poem, free of age and other limitations, was unencumbered here, and I can only imagine the bittersweet feeling of waking. Amazement at what was felt and experienced but also a profound sense of loss. Just top drawer writing, my friend. (Also, that image at the top is very special, and suits your poem perfectly. AFA the sing below, some people hate that song for whatever reason, but I have always liked it, and generally like a great many of their songs, including Tin Man and Sister Golden Hair.)
–Shay
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Shay, I can only say I sat down to write, and as it unfolded, it felt like a dream I had but had forgotten. I love it when thoughts spill onto the page from an unconscious source. Thank you so much for your lovely response.
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A dream this powerful is more like a vision… and I have to say it must have been very sad to wake up to the harsh reality of wrinkled hands. But maybe as poets, the words we get from our dreams are what we are seeking.
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Yes, I believe that to be true Bjorn.
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Pingback: Alora – Charmed Chaos - Ethical Today
So very well done! I love your fantasy dream!
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Thank you Dwight.
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Linda this absolutely has a dream-like quality to it and could be mined for messages. Take each noun and make a list of associations you have with them. Also be on the lookout for puns. e.g. horse could be hoarse. the horse’s tail could be a tale, a maze could be amaze, etc. Interestingly the name Alora is one of two little girls I know of, each with blonde hair.
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Thank you Lisa. I had searched the web for an alternative to my dream and this came up: Alora is a pretty girl’s name of Latin origin that means “My beautiful dream” or “dreamer”. This definition makes it an ideal choice if you want your little one to reach for the moon and stars in life! Alora is also from the Bantu language of Botswana and in African culture symbolizes “My dream.”
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You’re welcome and thank you so much for sharing the info on the name. It is a beautiful name!
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Sure!
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Sure reads like a vision. And whose to say it isn’t. I’m glad you shared it. In the end there was sadness, but did it impact you as sad or something else after having written it?
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It totally impacted me as something else. I had a sense of release and calm after I wrote it.
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This read like a dream, for sure – it really lifts off when the white horse appears. The line “Stars and planets swirled from them into an aubergine sky” is so beautiful. A wonderful poem.
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Thank you Sherry.
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Lovely poem. I too found this poem dream-like.
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Thank you.
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loved the colours and images in this
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Thank you.
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This did not go where I was expecting – it felt like it had its own energy – and then I read in the comments that it did! I would love to take that ride.
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Thank you Sarah.
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a beautiful wish-fulfilling dream
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Thank you.
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And when we get there, if ever, it will not be like what we have dreamed.
My story tells this: “And you’ll see your ghost for a long, long, time. I saw mine for over twenty-five years. She in person sat beside me at our granddaughter’s wedding. I didn’t recognize her until Mrs. Jim told me that she was my ex. We talked some but she wasn’t the person I had been seeing for all those years. And she disappeared from that day on, literally or as the ghost.” Nice write, brings memories for me. But not for long, the ghost has gone.
..
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Thanks for sharing Jim.
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Reality. Words can take you away from it but they can’t quite take it away. The imagery captures that sense of escape and loss beautifully.
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Thank you, Dora.
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A beautiful read Linda ❤
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Thank you.
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This is a magical mystical wonderful peace Linda, I enjoyed it my friend. Excellent! 🙂✌🏼❣️
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Hank you, Rob.
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I raise my wrinkled, knotted hands in praise / cheers of your simply amazing poem!! Brava, Linda .. Brava.
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Thank you, Helen.
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… I can’t but wish this is what Heaven will be like… gorgeous.
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Thank you Margaret.
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It feels so much like a dream…In fact in reading it I felt like I had entered one. Such a vivid capture of a dream that won’t let go of you.
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Thank you.
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“with these blades of wisdom, I swathed a clear path” – that’s awesome. What a dream to have to give up!
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Thank you!
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