Aether Dreams by Aamie Burnley Come wander with me. Take my heart, and let’s flee To the place where the sea gulls fly. Where the green of the tree Meets the blue of the sea, And the blue of the sea the sky. There are treasures galore As we walk on the shore, And the surf washes over our feet. Sweet surprises in store, If we dare ask for more, Where the water and firmament meet. Then it’s over the sands, Hurry Love; let’s hold hands, ‘Fore the tide rises high in the cove. We can dream of strange lands, Wild and rich caravans, And then lie in the shade and make love. As our bodies are one, The sea swallows the sun. How perfect the soft evening seems. Then when all’s said and done, Of regrets, we’ll have none, As we play out our sweet aether dreams. |
Aamie writes: “May is the month we begin dreaming of getting away -- well, some of us dream of that all the time, but it seems Maylike to me. If readers recognize the meter and cadence, they may realize I borrowed it from a rather well known children's poem. I had the hardest time not including 'a pea green boat' in my poem as well.
“I grew up in the rural south, the middle child of middle class working people. In my family, boredom was not allowed, and in the absence of television and digital entertainment, I turned to the woods and streams, where I was alternately a daring explorer or a forest nymph. You will feel this close to nature connection in many of my poems. I was the little girl who lived in the funeral home. I learned early that life can be short, and that there are many ways to die besides growing old and giving up the ghost. These observations slowly shaped my worldview into something of an eclectic existentialist, and my work is tempered with a deep loneliness of heart and longing for rational answers to what Albert Camus calls ‘the unreasonable silence of the world’.
“The muse of poetry has always been close at hand. I was trained in the art of elocution, and had access to a wonderful library of classic literature. Now, as an overeducated dabbler, I can resolve all the loves and losses of life as I condemn them to that peaceful grave of the page.
“I am a single parent of four of God’s most nearly perfect creations, and certainly the most mischievous and exasperating human males who ever walked. I have one grandson, who is, in fact, the most precious thing to ever draw the breath of life. My sons and I live in the home my grandfather built in 1930, and I now run the family business: a short string of funeral homes.”
Write Aamie at izeopen@myway.com.
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