symbols tender_square she thought she was being ambiguous when she told him about one of her dream vignettes from the night prior, thinking it would have little to no significance. she was just making conversation on their walk for lack of anything better to say. “i was getting ready to go to a fancy party and i was running late and as i was running late, i decided that i needed to shave my legs before i left but i didn’t have a razor,” she said casually. “you were sleeping on the floor and i woke you and asked if you wanted to come with me to the store while i picked one up.” “that’s interesting,” he said, turning to look at her. “that’s the discriminating function coming through; the razor is a type of sword.” “huh.” she worried she had started a story she shouldn’t have begun. what if he tried to make a connection with the fact that she asked him to go with her in the dream, as if he had something to do with the cutting away? what if he thought she was trying to cut herself away from him? “interesting.” she carried on, somewhat shaken. “we go outside and my aunt is there, beneath a stairwell, looking at a garden that has water in it, she is trying to catch a small frog. you ask me if i’m going to talk to her and i reply, ‘i have nothing to say to her.’ she captures the frog and releases it into a deeper puddle. i watch as the skin turns from green to red with black spots. but not all the skin changes color—it’s almost like the frog is wearing a hawaiian shirt. i point this out to you and then i wake up.” “that’s also a really significant symbol,” he mentioned, moving her toward the curb as a car passed. “the frog in the dream has transformed, which is the motif of many fairy tales.” she thought about the story of the frog that turns into a prince, and became momentarily concerned that her dream was trying to convey that she should stick it out in her marriage. she didn’t want to think about that. not now. “oh! there was another part i forgot about!” she added, pulling her hands from her pockets for emphasis. “i was cleaning the house we were living in when i should’ve been getting ready for this party and i kept organizing piles of things—office supplies, books, garbage, bottles. in fact, i was putting empty bottles into boxes, sort of like how i used to for my dad when he brought empties back to the beer store. and i thought it was curious in the dream because we don’t drink.” “well, it could be that it’s not representing alcohol, it’s representing spirit,” he reminded her. “so are you saying that at one point there was mirth?” his response came rather clipped. “i don’t know; it was your dream.” and she considered whether the empty bottles in the house were indicative of the spirit of their once-flowing love, now unfilled and unfulfilling. 220115 what's it to you? who go blather from