Tora Baku does not dream
So he eats the dreams of others
He sups on ones hidden hopes
Prowls around forbidden needs
Luxuriates among the flowers
Of unspoken desires.
Tora Baku does not dream
Snarling as he enters ethereally
Into the lands of in between.
Ah…but when he dines
The things that sate him, now divine
Bring forth a further hunger
Creating an ever growing spiral
Of emptiness and fear
That he leaves behind to fill.
Tora Baku does not dream
He lives inside what others do
And romps among the lovers
And romps among the dancers
And romps around the floaters
The philosophers and tramps.
He eats the dreams that matter
The small and of the large
He nestles in the wondrous
As he soars within the stars.
Tora Baku does not dream
But stands proudly as he devours
The Damask Rose
A green sphere
An embrace, a hug,
A skip, a jump,
An orgasm of sound,
A silence of relief,
A house in the trees,
A life running wild,
And more
And more
AND MORE…
Tora Baku does not dream
And in eating the inside fancies
What’s left is not a gift;
The darkness that festers in the mind
The horror of untouched hearts
The fear of devastation running wild
The gnawing of emptiness
The rendering of the soul
The peeling of the flesh
The pain of the unveiled
The pounding of the impure
The shriving, the burning,
The tearing, the wails…
He takes what gives him sustenance
Leaves behind what is unclean.
Tora Baku does not dream
So he eats the dreams of others.
**************** **************************** **********************
>Part One of Kitsune-Mochi and Tora Baku
Jul17
He Does Not Dream
Tora Baku does not dream
So he eats the dreams of others
He sups on ones hidden hopes
Prowls around forbidden needs
Luxuriates among the flowers
Of unspoken desires.
Tora Baku does not dream
Snarling as he enters ethereally
Into the lands of in between.
Ah…but when he dines
The things that sate him, now divine
Bring forth a further hunger
Creating an ever growing spiral
Of emptiness and fear
That he leaves behind to fill.
Tora Baku does not dream
He lives inside what others do
And romps among the lovers
And romps among the dancers
And romps around the floaters
The philosophers and tramps.
He eats the dreams that matter
The small and of the large
He nestles in the wondrous
As he soars within the stars.
Tora Baku does not dream
But stands proudly as he devours
The Damask Rose
A green sphere
An embrace, a hug,
A skip, a jump,
An orgasm of sound,
A silence of relief,
A house in the trees,
A life running wild,
And more
And more
AND MORE…
Tora Baku does not dream
And in eating the inside fancies
What’s left is not a gift;
The darkness that festers in the mind
The horror of untouched hearts
The fear of devastation running wild
The gnawing of emptiness
The rendering of the soul
The peeling of the flesh
The pain of the unveiled
The pounding of the impure
The shriving, the burning,
The tearing, the wails…
He takes what gives him sustenance
Leaves behind what is unclean.
Tora Baku does not dream
So he eats the dreams of others.
**************** **************************** **********************
>Part One of Kitsune-Mochi and Tora Baku
Love the way this starts, “Tora Baku does not dream, he eats the dreams of others, he sups on ones hidden hopes” and so. From start to finish, the whole poem is brilliant and spellbinding in a horrifying way, particularly that last stanza. Hope you are putting these together in a book.
Thanks Peneolope. That is my goal: right now, I want to work on a few of the ongoing stories into book form: this one, Birdsongs, Redhead (but, right now, I’m not sure where to go with it, as I kinda feel I said what I had to say with it), That…Boy (but, he’s not the protagonist), and one other. I’ll figure it all out after the play is done.
That’s a really gorgeous piece Stu. You should definitely spend the time and effort to shop this around for publication.
I wonder; if he eats dreams, does he eat memories too?
Hi Li: no, I don’t think so. I’m not involved with the Memory Eater group, although I know about them. Tora Baku (Baku is a Japanese Oni who eats dreams). So…. there will be more. Not sure where to shop this to (yet). Thanks.
Wow! I can not tell you how much I loved, enjoyed reading that!
Thank you Elise. Question: how come you can’t tell me? I’m fairly open to hearing things like that.
Hi Stuart,
This poem has images powerful enough to use with the High School students I volunteer with during the Art for Illustration segment of Drawing-2. This is a Visualize / Verbalize activity with storytelling, poems and exerts from literature. May I include your poem when I begin again in November?
Thank you,
Ron Chick, A-Chain-Unbroken Stories
Wow…I am flattered. yes, please do. My only request: PLEASE let me know what they do with it. I am really, really flattered. Thank you.
Well, here’s the comment I owe you after I lost myself in Stumble Upon last night
I was wondering what Tora Baku meant… you always get me going not only with your titles but the meaning of the characters’ names. I read the explanation in your reply to SJ.
I also liked the image you put… very artistic and creative.
I guess that’s how I read your works…in a more profound way. I scrutinize them carefully. It’s more the artistic style and writing skills that I actually experience in your page. That is just lovely… it’s like going over high school again and having my literature class. I just love learning from you.
Now Tora Baku… this is poetry!
Hi Melissa: Tora is the Japanese Tiger and Baku is an eater of dreams. I mixed the two due to the previous post’s Tattoo…just felt right.
Yes, you do know that most names I use (most, not all) I choose for a very distinct reason. I actually put a lot to time into the research once I knew where I wanted to go with this. So, every name has a meaning. I found the woman’s back tattoo online, and thought it was SO apropos to where I started from the day before (well, night before).
And thank you, I’m blushing inside from the compliments.
Made me shudder reading this, I know people like Tora Baku, and not the type of people you want to have around you either. I really like how you can tell a story through poetry too, it’s a rare talent.
Thank you SJ. Tora Baku is not a person, but an Oni, a mixture of two Japanese demon archetypes. I’m actually feeling like I want to try to do a narrative poem along the lines of Gilgamesh or Beowulf, so reading this comment makes me feel like I should try it.
WOW! Powerful words – this will keep me thinking for quite a while.
Hi Jessica: thank you for commenting. I’m glad; taking this out of the context of the whole, the piece has it’s own life.
Me thinks Tora Baku (the law of the spirit would be better described as DEVOURING DREAMS instead of merely eating them.
Powerful. Evoked memories of some “friends” and lovers who “helped” me along my journey of life…
Hi Roy, yes, the tiger does devour, but when I was doing my research, the baku always is stated as eating dreams, so I kept that. Thanks, glad you liked this. And..it is part two of the story…or, it will fit in soon when i write more.
Wow..I’m not sure what to make of this. As a poem it’s brilliant. I shall ponder on its meaning for a while..great write!
Louise, read the first part of this (which is linked at the bottom of the poem). You’ll get a clearer picture of the start to where I’m going.