Homicide

The Dreamer is at the park in the neighborhood where he grew up.

He is watching a young Arab man on the other side of the park, planning and practicing graffiti. The Dreamer considers calling the police. Then the Dreamer gets closer to investigate the graffiti, which just says “graffiti”. Then the graffiti is erased. Then the Dreamer discusses with his wife about how the graffiti was temporary. Then the Dreamer is making his own graffiti, in chalk. The Dreamer writes the word “Homicide” in large bubble letters. Then the Dreamer begins to sketch the outline of a body, like at a crime scene. Then the Dreamer is interrupted by Bill Douhig. Douhig confronts the Dreamer why the Dreamer was going to call the police on the Arab, when now he is doing graffiti. Then Douhig shows the Dreamer his phone, that has a record of the Dreamer’s perspective. The Dreamer denies having such an attitude. Then the Dreamer says he was only opposed to permanent graffiti. Douhhig seems satisfied by that answer.

Context: The “Arab” is a recurring figure, from “Go Straight Forward”, representing risks. “Douhhig” is a recurring figure, from “It’s Front Row”, representing childhood confrontation.

Associations: When I was a boy, there was an older Arab boy in the neighborhood named Mohammed. Mohammed enabled us boys to get into trouble that we were too young for: smoking, drinking, stealing, graffiti, sex. The Arab that appears in these dreams is a cross between Mohammed and an Arab man I know now named Bilel. Bilel is a web programmer who I hired to help me with a software project, that was a risk for me and did not pay off. Also, when I was younger, I tried my hand at “graffiti”. My friends were much better at the letter-making technique and had cool nicknames. I could not come up with a nickname on my own, and so they named me “Cap”.

Feelings: curiosity, creativity, hypocrisy

Interpretation: This is a dream about an attitude toward creativity rooted in childhood. The Dreamer is going to call the cops on the young man who is doing graffiti, but then the Dreamer winds up doing the graffiti himself. The risk of the graffiti turns out to be in play, with chalk, it’s not permanent. The Dreammaker is suggesting that the Dreamer has too strict of an attitude about creative efforts, perhaps it is okay just to play: you don’t have to be good at it the first time, it’s not a crime, it’s okay.