The Dookerer (Fortune Teller) by Gail Kavanagh
THE DOOKERER
(THE FORTUNE TELLER)
``Do you want to know the future, lady?”
She has ten gold teeth and five gold rings,
Her tent is dark and cool inside.
From behind the beaded curtain
Comes her wheedling voice and
Gold encrusted claw. Beckoning
``Do you want to hear your fortune, master?”
Her father was a seventh son. When he died,
Embraced in flame and hoarded riches,
She tore her silken scarves and wailed.
Then searched the ground for golden coins
Scattered from her broken bracelets.
``Do you want to learn the dookerin, child?”
Hidden in her musty tent I hear
This one and her burning for a man,
That one and his hunger for a quid.
``Pity the fools, their beds are cold,
Their purses slim. See lovers, wealth,
Sudden windfalls – telling fortunes
Is only telling them what they want to hear.”
posted by Heather Blakey @ 1:30 AM
6 comments
The 
6 Comments:
This so human and true. It's really a bit of a double bind. (Monika)
Could it sometimes be that what we wish to hear is also true in some mysterious way? Do we make dreams or do the dreams make us?
What you say is true, Fran, the riddle of us all.
I guess it is not only the Dookerer who we want to say what we want to hear. I know I cling to the oncologists words, hoping he will tell us what we want to hear.
I have a feeling I will come back and read new meanings into this poem at another time soon Gail.
Hi Gail
I really enjoyed this. thank you for your kind words about my performance too.
I do believe, or try to, that we create our reality, which is not to say that when bad things befall us we are to blame... but I believe that when we seek advice or counsel, what we are really looking for is that still small voice inside. In this way, the fortuneteller is a part of us, as all characters in a dream are a part of us. Thanks for allowing me to think about this idea, Gail.
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