Dream

Battell Bandshell, Mishawaka, IN. Photo by Rachel B. Baxter.

Sleepy eyes, silent, still,
lashes descend,
I welcome darkness.
The curtain falls on
the world in which
I sit and observe,
and rises on the one
in which I act, play.
The lights, bright, blind me, yet
shaded, permit me sight,
I walk and speak in a
low, listless lethargy.
Ethereal figures
dance to muffled music
in muted colors.
Familiar characters
join me on stage,
whispering words,
wistful, brief, and lost.
Their eyes, sincere but
their acting, thoughtless.
Everything intrinsic
in a dim, life-like haze.
With a single note from
the orchestra pit,
my ears attend,
my eyes flicker,
my body jolts.
The act is over,
soon, with a sunrise,
my dream drifts
from memory.