Last night I dreamt about the University of Georgia Arch. My son gave me a selection of photos he took in 2015. He and his fiancée now live in Athens, Georgia, supplying him with a variety of photo opportunities. Thus, the arch.
I dreamt about the arch as a portal—a path—to writing. How we can walk through the portal, like walking through an airport screening arch, and come out on the other side with ideas for writing. It felt like walking towards inspiration—being open to new ideas.
In my dream I saw words over the portal, curving like a rainbow, “This is where dreams are made.” And “Promises are kept or broken.”
Either way, I see these words, these concepts, as inspiration for writing. Okay, I see almost everything as inspiration for writing: song lyrics, opening sentences in books, first lines of poetry. I see interesting items and think “writing prompt.”
Today’s Writing Prompt: Write about your dreams. Or, write about promises made. Or write about the idea of being changed after walking through a portal.
The University of Georgia Arch photo by Pro_Deluxe Photography by Jeff Cullen
“Commissioned in 1856, the Arch was built sometime between then and 1858, but no one can say for sure the exact year it was constructed. It was part of the iron fence erected to secure the campus. Gates were part of the structure, closing off the passageway beneath the Arch at night. The gates disappeared sometime in 1885, likely the victim of a midnight prank.
For most graduates, visiting the Arch after commencement is a rite of passage. Since the 1900s, tradition has held that students may not pass beneath the Arch until they have received a diploma from UGA. Legend has it that the tradition began when Daniel Huntley Redfearn (BL ’09, BS ’10) arrived as a freshman and vowed not to pass beneath the Arch until he had graduated. One of Redfearn’s professors heard the vow and repeated it to his class, and the story stuck.
If only that Arch could talk.
It could tell of political protests and silent vigils, memorials to deceased students, and long lines of happy new graduates waiting to pose for a family photo beside the three pillars of the Arch, which stand for wisdom, justice and moderation.
For 150 years, the black iron arch—fired at the old Athens foundry—has served as the University of Georgia’s most visible symbol. Yet it is cloaked in intrigue, its past a mystery even to the most educated scholars.”
