Rise to the surface
from deep blue
each breath a lighter hue
Patchwork of clouds
meshed together,
one hand lifts us up.
A place where we see,
formed, yet formless,
happiness is a noplace
But everyplace to be;
blind, yet seeing,
all one being.
When I read Lillian’s prompt word over the weekend, I took a moment to take it in and send a small prayer request to the dream world that sends “messages from home” (Clarissa Pinkola-Estes calls them that.) Mother Night sent me one. I created the collage based on the focal feature of the dream, which was an image of an open hand made of clouds and the words, “Patchwork of clouds, we mesh together, hold each other up.”
Another word message was, “also a pupil to an eye.” In my dream studies, I’ve learned that Mother Night loves to work with puns and riddles. Pupil can be the dark part of the eye, but it can also be student. Eye can be eye, but it can also be “I”. Can one be a student to themselves?
The rest of the collage created itself into being. The tail is a crescent moon, and the lips are infinity.
Lillian is today’s host for dVerse. Lillian says:
You’ve got it: the word for our quadrille today is happiness. Or any form of the word (not synonym) as in happy, happier, happiest. Maybe verbify it and happy somebody! Or how about a happylicious ice cream cone as a treat? Any way you look at it, your poem of exactly 44 words, sans title, must include the word happiness or a form of the word. This will be our dVerse Happiness Project!
Tao Talk 
“A place where we see,
formed, yet formless,
happiness is a noplace
But everyplace to be;
blind, yet seeing,
all one being.”
This is very philosophical to me, and I’m going to look at happiness now in this point of view. Happiness can often be eluding, but this poem makes me think that it’s there and not there–in the way that we can create happiness if we think ahead. We can make that happiness come true from within our being if we believe in that future we’ve created in our heads.
I can be so off the mark here, but this is what I got from your piece. 🙂 It’s quite a beauty, Lisa, and to be honest, it impacted me deeply. I’m going to save this so I can look back at it as a reminder. ❤ ❤ Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤ Many thanks, Lucy. When Mother Night speaks (and I"m able to remember it and write it down!) I listen. There is so much wisdom to tap into at our fingertips. This song just came to mind. I see happiness and love as tightly linked:
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOVE the collage…and your explanation of it tied to your dream. I most especially liked these words:
happiness is a noplace
But everyplace to be;
This entire post made me smile 🙂
Perfect for our happiness project!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks, Lillian and happy to have made you smile ❤
LikeLike
I think that on this level happiness is something that is much deeper than the simple enjoyment of jokes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤
LikeLike
‘Happiness is a no place.’ I think that’s right. It can’t be pinned down to place or event. It’s elusive, not nearly so enduring as sorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading and your comment, Jane. YMMV
LikeLike
What does YMMV stand for?
LikeLiked by 1 person
from good ol google: “YMMV is an abbreviation for ‘Your Mileage May Vary.’ Basically, it means one person’s experience with a product may be different from another’s…” Back in the old days it was part of car sales and how many miles a car would get on a gallon of gas, but its use has expanded.
LikeLike
Thanks Lisa! It’s like learning a new language 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This idea of happiness being no place, but somehow everywhere
A place where we see,
formed, yet formless,
is comforting. I felt a sense of peace.
I wrote about dreams this morning! Interesting. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very glad to have induced peace with the poem for you. Cool that you wrote about dreams this morning. Will check out your blog to see what you wrote. I look at the dream world as like a bottomless well of “living water” that I like to dip from from time to time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m often very amused by my dreams.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely depiction of happiness — no place and everyplace — Well penned.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Beverly!
LikeLike
So creative! I particularly liked the noplace/everyplace dynamic. It was good to read about your process as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dream world materials, building upon a paradox framework. Thank you, Sarah 🙂
LikeLike
“A place where we see, formed, yet formless, happiness is a noplace but everyplace to be,”… this is incredibly beautiful and deep, Lisa! 💝💝
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks to you, Sanaa 🙂 ❤
LikeLike
Super creative Lisa, love your collage your poem and appreciate your explanation!
True happiness is much deeper and we need to accept and connect with ourselves to find it … dreams are a good window to our soul, thank you
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks much for reading and your comment, Kate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
my pleasure I assure you … would like to see more art please?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well I pulled out my collage stuff and it’s all over the place so you just might 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
yea … what else to do at this particular tense time in history!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“each breath a lighter hue”
What an affirming phrase. I’m going to incorporate it into my meditation practice! It’s perfect!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Alexandra so happy you find it affirming. I was thinking of being deeply submerged in darkness and each breath was carrying me closer to the light. That hand of clouds is like fresh air that lifts us all ❤
LikeLike
incredible collage and Quadrille. You’ve touched on one ingredient within the process of happiness, the notion that it is more and less, “form and formless” and “blind yet seeing”. Mother Night has been pretty good to me several times when it comes to writing poems.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glenn, thanks and it doesn’t surprise me she has been good to you.
LikeLike
Lovely piece, Lisa. Charming!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you like it, Susan. Thank you!
LikeLike
I love the creativity and hope expressed in your beautiful poem and artwork! Really great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mother Night gave me a good start. Thank you so very much, Dwight. I’ve missed doing collage work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It turned out very well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this Lisa and agree with all the comments so I’ll spare you mine 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks, Dale. Happy you like it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so profound.
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤ Glad you connect with it, Sadje.
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍👍👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the lovely works and explanation of your process – for me, the paradox of happiness – no place yet everyplace was the take home message. For some reason I thought of Brian Eno’s track ‘Dream Birds’ – (dream birds / cloud fish i guess). If you haven’t heard – it’s here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R-BSCfqF0M
LikeLiked by 1 person
Appreciate your comment, thank you. Dream Birds is a new one to me. I like the way Eno recited it. I understand why you thought of it. What a grim place it would be without the wonder and spirit of creativity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Rise to the surface
from deep blue
each breath a lighter hue” Wow! What an awesome opening!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Many thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the collage Lisa…and I like the line “happiness is a noplace”
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 Thank you, Max. It’s weird trying to turn a dream into a piece of reality, which this collage is. The hand made of pieces clouds was so clear in my dream. Hard to replicate it here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is a hard task Lisa…very hard task. It’s an interesting piece. A hand made of clouds is a cool image.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happiness is where we find it… incredible writing and collage, Li. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Punam, many thanks ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your creativity with the collage is really cool! I always remember my dreams maybe because I wake up sporadically but I do find dreams to be a great inspiration when writing. Happiness is seeing ourselves in the big picture and knowing when we choose love we are a part of something so much bigger and grander. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Tricia and appreciate your thoughtful comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your explanation of happiness as a spiritual haven: ‘happiness is a noplace’ – the place where we turn off our thoughts and let our souls sing! I love the collage too 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you and happy you connect with it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A place where we see,
formed, yet formless,
Oh dear. this piece has a philosophical and calming feeling. Beautifully done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 ❤ Thank you, Rosemarie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Creativity is a lifesaver in these troubled times, and I love where it took you, Lisa, with a nudge from the dream world. The collage complements your quadrille beautifully. I especially love the use of colour in the first stanza, which reminds me of coming out of meditation, and happiness as a noplace..
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤ Lovely comment, Kim.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Certainly a happy dream, a happy place recalled. Nice collage art
Have a wonderful week
Much💙love
LikeLike
Thank you very much, Gillena, you also.
LikeLike
Beautifully done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
What a wonderful distillation of your dream! I love the infinity sign opposite the moon too. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks, Kerfe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely stunning Lisa, and your collage is beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Linda! I’m sure there’s a fish swimming in the ocean that looks just like this 😉
LikeLike