Slumberland
By Derra Sabo
Genre: Nonfiction
About the Book
How do you dream? Are your dreams in color or
black 'n white? Do they feel surreal or all too real? Well, I'd like to
introduce you to my little slice of bittersweet. These subconscious woods hold
every fear and my anxieties masked are as wolves. Nightmares that play on a
loop for weeks, even months at a time. Symptoms of waking in cold sweats and
shaking. The only moments of peace are found in the sporadically studded dreams
that happen every now and again. These woods house every past demon as well as
certain past versions of who I once was. This place is worse than death, yet it
inspires. So......Before my alarm goes off, before I take the last train out of
here, I take one last glance back, one last glance at all of the Polaroids,
pinned to every tree branch, Polaroids of every dream and nightmare that have
stolen my nights since '95......These dreams...these woods...this place...it's
my upside-down. This is my Slumberland...
Review
I've never read anything like Slumberland before. It's all about dreams that the author has had since 1995. She describes them very vividly. The dreams cover an array of feelings and emotions. I like how the author chose to include song lyrics with the dreams. She did a great job with this collection. I would like to read more of her work.
About the Author
My name is Derra Sabo. I am California born and raised. I spend
my days writing, sipping on coffee and listening to music. When I'm not busy
typing away, I love spending time with my family and friends. Days spent at the
beach ended by burgers at In-N-Out. Growing up I wanted to become a fashion
designer/drummer, but somewhere along the way writing grabbed ahold of me and
I've never looked back. Over the years writing has aided in healing from my
past. Being born and living with a rare disorder led to being bullied
throughout life as well as surgeries growing up. Writing and music are my
sanity.
Links
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hazeleyes1984
Twitter: www.twitter.com/derra_nic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/derra_nic
Website: www.genuinelyderra.com
Excerpt:
Here I stand…
I’ve stood in this exact spot, in this exact place before…many
times…
This place is always disturbingly comforting in a peculiar
way…this place has been my little slice of subconscious doom since ’95…this
place is all my own…
These woods, a vision pulled from a Hitchcock film, holds my
past intertwined within the roots of every hauntingly beautiful tree…
An above sky shaded a midnight black with doom n’ gloom clouds
spread across its infinite horizon and luminous diamonds sporadically studded…a
brain freeze breeze swirls throughout causing every goosebump to run up my
spine…
The various growling echoes stirring behind the deeply hidden
gutters are where the disabled demons reside, they bite the edges of my
ears…the fear from these demons nearly diminished, yet a sting still exists…
I stand here, my feet at the edge of this freshly dug grave…the
smell of a fresh storm builds, I pull the hood over my head and begin…
In goes every scar that clouded my mind. This permanent bruise
on my back given to me from the biggest mistake in life, yeah that goes in
next. Now it’s time to rip off the invisible mark of shame that had its claws
dug into the small scar on my neck and the scar on my forearm hidden underneath
this ink…
Every societal bullet has been pulled from my chest and tossed
in, one by one, the soft clank is so satisfying…the confusion from the
unanswered question marks attached to my biological father have been burned,
this jar holding those ashes, in it goes…
Every moment captured on Polaroid of being bent, cracked and
broken all tossed in…
Now, a deep chilled breath and strike this match, for a second,
I stare at the tiny flame dancing on the tip, I can hear Death Valley by Fall
Out Boy playing in the background…
I close my forest green eyes, make one final wish and drop the
match…the flames growing instantaneously, as I open my eyes a neon black ring
surrounds these forest green irises, the same neon black surrounds the glowing
teal flame that resides in the center of my ribcage…
Witnessing every ounce of past pain burn, this moment is
medical. My lungs fill with refreshing oxygen and this weight lifted more with
each joyful tear…
Thunder begins to roll in as the sky also begins to sprinkle.
Time to go, I know I’ll be back, the dreams always pull me back…
Tucking the 22 Glock into my back pocket and grabbing the
Louisville slugger, I begin to make my way to the place where yellow surrounds,
that place is where I find subconscious peace…My heart, in all of its titanium
gears and gold stitched glory now beating on my sleeve…
These woods and I will always be connected…11 is somewhere
playing Super Nintendo, keeping warm by a sparkling bonfire and eating one too
many s'mores. She keeps our much-needed innocence alive. Swift watches guard
making sure that the wolves stay at bay...17 rests peacefully under the giant
oak tree. She was a tough soul, just not as tough as this monster of a world…22
protects our past selves, protects the rare dreams that have morphed from this
slum and protects these woods. Machete strapped to her steel spined back, her
observant mind always scanning for dangerous disturbances. The warrior she
always wished she could be, now she is.
Before my alarm goes off I take one last glance back, one last
glance at all of the Polaroids pinned to every tree branch, polaroids of every
dream and nightmare that have stolen my nights since ’95…
These dreams…these woods…this place…it’s my upside down…
This is my Slumberland.
“I'll take the last train home..." - Blink 182
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