I have had many discussions with my students about authorial intent. Did the writer do that on purpose? Did she know where this project was going? Are these symbols deliberate? These questions guided us as we examined the work of others, but eventually also ourselves. Let me explain. If I take the items on my list, or in this case, from my poem, and examine them as symbols, what conclusions can I draw? In order to ease into this process, let me begin by summarizing my experience below in italics:
I went walking last Sunday. Having a hard time writing, a hard time thinking, I set out on a self-prescribed assignment to look for red things—points of departure that would hopefully lead me on a path toward clarity. I was drawn to an open red umbrella, powerful and dignified, in the flat area beside the First Christian Church. The wind was tossing it about a little, but mostly it faced East, true as a compass, shielding nothing as the sun was hidden by clouds and haze. Beside the field, there was a drive near the church with a NO ENTRANCE sign. This struck me as ironic, yet based on my relationship with organized religion, somehow appropriate.
Even though my original intent was to take note of red objects, my perverse (a.k.a. poetic) nature led my eye to the blue tunnel in the playground. It seemed more welcoming, more innocent, more of a sanctuary than the church. I pondered for a moment the nature of the perfectly cylindrical passageway—both entrance and exit, somehow comforting as it limited one’s perspective. My gaze proceeded about the area only to land on more signs prohibiting parking and entering.
I kept walking. My path was paved with the satisfying crunch of acorns, small and sacred, unrealized trees. Green, yellow, blue—acorns, plywood, bricks–nature was surely being overcome by technology. Graffiti gave way to the perfect printing on signs that warned against digging too deeply. (Heaven forbid, no pun intended.)
I counted cars. More accurately, I counted taillights. And if I scrunched my eyes almost closed, the passing lights became a swirling solar system of red stars, not as perfectly drawn as those found on flags, but just as ideological. I noted the tangy diesel odor that remained behind some of the vehicles and was drawn to a singular leaf in the puddle that separated the church from the school. I had been filled with conflict when I started out today, but the walk, the umbrella, the leaf—they all combined suddenly without the need for words and brought a small smile to my face. Even the splash of a car going by much too close and much too fast became just a splash, not an attack.
My thoughts returned to the crimson umbrella. Still open, it had shifted momentarily from East to South—from chasing enlightenment to naturally questioning everything. I continued on my walk, progressing from one red flash to the next. My brain could not rest, and I knew the path would go on forever.
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As a point of reference, here is the resulting poem again in case you missed it the first time.
SUNDAY MORNING, SEEING RED
Unfurled red umbrella
in the field beside the church.
Full blown, due east.
No Entrance. Full metal tunnel
on the playground.
Metal inside. Metal out. Blue.
No Parking.
Do Not
Enter.
Green acorns underfoot.
Yellow plywood. Golden ripe wood.
Blue graffiti on brown brick.
Buried Cable: Before Digging
Call This Number.
Number the cars. Number the
Taillights. taillight. taillight.
Diesel odor, taillight, taillight. Trailing
one vibrant oblong leaf in the puddle near the
school. One car going too fast,
one “STOP!” showering splash.
One spinning
umbrella
in the field beside the church.
Full open. Facing south.
No Entrance.
No Parking.
No end.
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I have included below some notes from the dream dictionary site: http://www.dreammoods.com/
Umbrella: an emblem of power and dignity; an umbrella indicates a shield against your feelings.
Field: Seeing green fields in your dream, symbolizes great abundance, freedom, and happiness. You may also be going through a period of personal growth. Alternatively, this dream may simply be an expression for your love of nature. Seeing freshly plowed fields in your dream means growth, early rise to wealth and fortunate advancements to places of honor. Seeing dead or barren fields means lack, pessimism and your jaded prospects for the future.
Church: Seeing the outside of the church in your dream means sacredness and spiritual nourishment. It is representative of your value system and the things you hold sacred. Dreaming that you are in a church, suggests that you are seeking for some spiritual enlightenment and guidance. You are looking to be uplifted in some way. Perhaps you have made some mistakes in the past which have set you back on your path toward your goals. With proper support, you will get on the right track again. Alternatively, it may also mean that you are questioning and debating your life path and where it is leading. You are reevaluating what you want to do.
East: heading east represents inner wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. You need to devote or dedicate yourself to your goals, family, career, etc. The direction east also symbolizes the sun. Since east is related to the direction right, it can suggest that you are headed in the right direction.
Metal: means strength and character. It may also symbolize the inhumane side of society. Seeing a tunnel in your dream, represents the womb and birth. Thus it may refer to a need for security and nurturance. Dreaming that you are going through a tunnel, suggests that you are exploring aspects of your unconscious. You are opening yourself to a brand new awareness. Alternatively, it indicates your limited perspective. Seeing the light at the end of a tunnel, symbolizes hope.
Acorn: Dreaming of acorns means that you will be meeting with success in your professional life. All your hard work and sacrifices paved the way to this success. You might have started small, humble and modest, but you will be getting a big share of the wealth pie. Emotionally, you grew to be a stable, motivated, strong willed individual, who can make a difference not only in his life, but also in the life of others.
Wood: Dreaming of wood, suggests that you are feeling dead inside and emotionless. You may be behaving automatically and just going along with the flow. Or you may be acting out without fully thinking things through. Dreaming that you are carving or shaping a piece of wood indicates a power-giving, creative act/gesture. Alternatively, the wood may also symbolize spirituality and vital energy.
Color: Colors in dreams represent energy, emotions, and vibes. First consider what that single color in your dream means to you and your own personal associations and relationship with that color.
Blue: Blue is the color of the Virgin Mary, and is associated with purity. In addition, it is the color of water and the sea, with all the symbolic references already discussed for that element – that is, blue usually indicates femininity, life, purity, etc., just as water does. Blue can also symbolize peace, calm, stability, security, loyalty, sky, water, cold, technology, and depression.
Yellow: Yellow can symbolize joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, gold, dishonesty, cowardice, deceit, illness, and hazard.
Red: Red can symbolize many things; from blood, to love, to infatuation. Basically red symbolizes strong emotions, or things of strong emotions rather than intellectual ideas. For example, red can symbolize excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, and aggression.
Green: Green can represent nature, the environment, good luck, youth, vigor, jealousy, envy, and misfortune.
Brick: represents your individual ideas and thoughts. Experience and/or heartbreak may have hardened you. Building a brick wall means a wall that you are putting up to protect yourself against hurt. It may also indicate that you may be hard on the outside but still sensitive on the inside.
Digging: means that you are working too hard in trying to uncover the truth in a problem that is haunting you. You may also be preoccupied with trying to find out about yourself , your reputation, and your self-identity. Dreaming that you dig a hole and find something shiny means a favorable turn in your fortune. Dreaming that you dig a hole and fill it with water indicates that no matter how hard you try, your efforts will not make things go your way.
Leaves: Seeing leaves in your dream means new found happiness and an improvement in various aspects of your life. It is symbolic of growth and openness. Seeing brown or withered leaves in your dream means fallen hopes, despair, and loss.
Car: Dreaming that you are almost hit by a car, suggests that your lifestyle, beliefs or goals may be in conflict with another’s. It may also be symbolic of a jolting experience or injured pride.
South: Dreaming of the direction south indicates life, expectations, and questions. Alternatively, it may symbolize love, passion and warmth. Or it is an indication that a plan has gone awry.
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CHALLENGE
Your journal challenge today is to locate a piece of your own writing, a journal entry, poem, or story, and examine the symbols that appear in it. Ask yourself whether these inclusions were deliberate and do they add meaning?