fitzcarraldo n. an image that somehow becomes lodged deep in your brain—maybe washed there by a dream, or smuggled inside a book, or planted during a casual conversation—which then grows into a wild and impractical vision that keeps scrambling back and forth in your head like a dog stuck in a car that’s about to arrive home, just itching for a chance to leap headlong into reality.
that tiny room
the one with the steps to the attic
the one with only bed and dresser
nothing more fits
but the window with the tree
and the sky and the birds
I could leap out that window
like Wendy and the Lost Boys
riding the wind to faraway dreams
I could hide under the covers
with a flashlight and a book
a transistor radio playing
Fly Me to the Moon
I could accompany myself
by singing wishes on stars
on a moon that illuminates all
these yearnings pulsing through
the bloodsongs of my heart
The NaPoWriMo prompt for today was to write a poem inspired by an entry from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. What a wonderful dictionary! I will be visiting it again.
My fitzcarraldo is a bit less intense than Herzog’s…
K. 
I love this, Kerfe. Have you seen the Herzog film ‘Fitzcarraldo’ with Klaus Kinski? By the way , that was me hiding under the covers with a flashlight and a book, a transistor radio playing – such a long, long time ago.
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Thanks Kim. Ditto me with the radio. I did not see that particular Herzog film, but Aguirre was was of the most intense movies I’ve ever seen.
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Just beautiful! And I learned a new word!
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Thanks Charlotte. That dictionary is full of wonderful words.
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I imagine that many a child has had daydreams such as this.
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I’m sure that’s true.
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I’ve seen some cool poems generated today by definitions out of that dictionary.
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It’s a great resource.
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Thank you for opening my eyes, I had no idea of this meaning. I know exactly the feeling though. Mine is two persons grabbing each others feet above the head and rolling around like that. Hard to explain, it’s a motion picture. 😀 And you give such a great atmosphere of this room. I see it.
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Thanks Manja. I’ve spent a lot of time in that room.
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I love the movie but had no idea this is what the term meant! Yours is indeed gentler, but intriguingly beautiful nonetheless.
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Thanks Ingrid. Herzog chose his words carefully I think.
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Indeed, and he still does!
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I also love this one Kerfe … feels so comfortable and cosy, what appeals and resonates with us all!
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We all have that secret room, if only in our minds. Thanks Kate.
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exactly!
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The notification for this post got lost in my email. I love it–just the sound of the word, which I loved from the movie, too. You really evoked this little room. I felt like I was there.
I remember hearing about this dictionary before. I need to bookmark it to come back to.
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Thanks Merril. I bookmarked it too, Now all I need to do is find the time and remember it’s there…
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Yes, there’s always that. 😀
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