The shadows of baobabs and mimetic parrots were variously interrupted by ringlets of live indigo light.
Bouncing on tree branches in passionate spasms I shushed my overweight conscience and accepted the audibly uncorked bottle of radiant bubbly potion named “Flash and twinkle” presented to me by a seven-foot tall strawberry blond peasant covered in soot and melodramatic makeup with too much maroon in it.
The potion popped into my mouth; its chaotically rotating prickly bubbles choked my articulation completely. I fell flat on the swampy ground, looked him in the eye and mouthed “It’s good to be free.”
That frightened the green-and-blue parrot perched on the brim of my broken Flash and Twinkle...
balalaika, two axes, and a kite
That night because of the infinite blinks of lightning bugs and the spiral gusts of wind swinging the lanterns in my lucid dream house I abandoned my deconstructed wooden habitat and stepped into the vortex of a marvelous sight against the vivid sun-dusted firmament. My totem animal was by my side. I was carrying a balalaika, two axes, and a kite.
Glósóli
In one of my recent dreams I got accepted at the Academy of French Mermaids (they happened to speak French, possibly because I fell asleep listening to a French audio book), where their main objective was to teach me to move my legs and toes in the most intricate spinning trajectories. Underwater ballet of sorts. Upon graduation I was allowed to swim towards the aquamarine light on the surface of the ocean somewhere near Galapagos all by myself. “Bon Voyage. Tu es sur le point de te rencontrer” (French: you are about to meet yourself). As soon as I reached the surface, my legs turned into a spectacular mermaid tail, my arms transformed into two gigantic wings. The random genetic formation went very fast. Perfectly cohesive and with absolutely zero regrets, I flew through myriads of swirls of purple fog rising my face to the chiming stars.
Disoriented in someone else’s culture - c'est magnifique!
From day one of learning what traveling or living abroad/new place was all about, I gave myself a promise: once in a new place - I would always give up my comfort zone and allow myself to investigate the new environment to a point of being able to crack the code of most local traditions and language specifics. There is nothing more fulfilling and intellectually stimulating than to experience the unique dimensions of other cultures’ realms, n’est pas?
I’ve woken up a number of times in my life in other countries and towns, not knowing where the hell I was. Especially in my early twenties, when I’d grab a backpack and go anywhere that would vaguely resemble my most recent dream, most likely, based on the new National Geographic cover, or book I just read. I’d say waking up in a bunch of different towns in China was the most bizarre. I suppose, not knowing what’s going on, or how to go through seemingly regular daily experiences - is what makes me the happiest. The weirder, the better.
Being disoriented in someone else’s culture is one of the last things in the world that can effortlessly make humans so very interesting, wonderfully alien and beautiful.
Visions of something tribal in outer space.
My hypnotist told me to write down my dreams and take them very seriously.
May 8, 2019
I dream of an audition for some impressive theater performance on Mars. Their lead girl has this fantastic long hair and orange eyes. She gives off divine fragrance (must have been the remnants of Diptique on my pillow). She and the casting crew choose me from the crowd. They run my background check on an odd looking device, then look at my acting resume and conclude that my soul is pure and I can act. They hire me. “There is one thing you as a human are infinitely missing.”
“What do you think it is?” I ask. “The knowledge of the authentic African dance and maybe some tango.” Planning to take my first African dance class this weekend.