Sleeping Images

What would a dream look like do you think?
From the inside of your sleeping brain?
How do you put it down in words?
Can you draw it in images?
Or capture it on film or digitise it?

What music would it sound like?
Is there a voice?
Is it deep or so light you barely hear it?
Will it be on the harpsichord?
Can I hear a lute or drum?

A colour green or yellow?
Is the stone grey or dusty white?
Are the roads black with rain?
Could the fields be blanketed in snow?
Are her lips cherry red?
Are his eyes the most green of blues?

Do you taste the apricots?
Now or after?
Is it chocolate or melted butter?
Could it be a pomelo?
Or tomatoes?
An oyster -- with salt?

Will she be here?
Will he hear her here?
Will her footfall part the grass?
Will he glide above it?
Will they dance there?
Or simply stand and stare there?

Where will you be…
In my dream?
Will you still be there?
Or will you have gone…
To leave a fading sepia memory?

Who Was She?

Do you have vivid dreams that seem to make moral sense, even if none of the events seem to? Last night I dreamed of a woman who was all of us and none of us. She was you and me and all of us, yet strangely unique.

She was poor. She lived alone except for her old, little, ratty doggy in one little room filled with all she owned. There was one chair to rest her weary body in, a footstool to rest her feet upon, a little cot upon which to rest her weary soul.

She lived in an area everyone else would be surprised to see – a place misunderstood, even condemned by some. She lived in the shadow of another huge, but tottering building, dangerous with live and hot electrical cables dangling everywhere.

It was an emergency.

I was called to help. At the scene there were many workmen hurrying about the tall building that everyone could see was nearing collapse and would fall and destroy the little homes near by.

The lady’s “house” was the closest to the building and a direct hit by all estimations. But no one could get her to leave. She stood there in the middle of her meager dwelling, embracing her little dog, with tears running down her eyes from fear and courage colliding within her.

All she owned was in that little room. It looked like a couple of strangely shaped candles and a bunch of greeting cards taped to the walls with some precious photos – a few boxes arranged neatly and in a very tidy way under her cot.

Why was I there?

It was a mystery. In the dream, I walked to this woman’s home and asked to enter. I hugged her and her dog and told her I wanted to help her. She continued to cry and embrace her only friend.

I had a large plastic bag in with me and now began to carefully gather every card and photo as if they were priceless works of art and place them in the bag. Candles, cards, photos, whatever was there. And listened to the incessant and constant shouting of neighbors and workmen outside shouting for us to evacuate before it was too late.

Still I gathered every little box from under her bed and keep asking her for direction with the search for her “valuables”. Everything was stored in the bag carefully so as not to damage one corner of any of her precious things.

I pulled up the little floor rug and carefully rolled it up and put it in the bag and gathered everything under her watchful and tear-streamed eyes.

Her fear at being unnecessary in a busy and “successful” world poured off her like the water rushing over Niagara Falls and it hurt my soul for every moment I was near her.

The shouting from outside never ceased, the wind seemed to pick up. Still I lingered there to comfort her and held her and her companion. I whispered over and over that everything would be alright and that we would find her a new place, even it it meant coming to stay with me.

Once almost everything was gathered together, she let me lead her outside to the waiting arms of a rescue worker.

I returned inside for one last review.

Bare walls, the floor bare, her cot – now stripped of it’s blanket and sheet, her little chair and footstool carefully moved outside. I checked for lose boards or secret cupboards and found little more, as I continued to listen to the shouting.

I carried out her chair and footstool and handed them to a worker and went to find her as I heard the huge building begin to fall, and knew I had done what was necessary for another who had no one to help them.

When I awoke, I wrote down the dream, so strangely vivid it was and then I lay there instead of rushing up to get on with my day, to wonder at the many messages I found in it. Perhaps you will find something of value there too.

I Dreamed Last Night!!

It is said the human being is the only animal that goes to bed when it is not sleepy and gets up when it is!

I like that quote because it is so true. I don’t remember the last time I dreamed. I average about five hours or less of sleep each night and have averaged this amount since about January this year. I seem unable to sleep longer and when I try, I get massive headaches. Yet it is the dreaming I have missed. The truth is we all dream, we just don’t remember our dreams, especially when we don’t get enough sleep, or at least that is one theory.

Well I dreamed last night! And it was a dream of unrequited love of 18 years! Eighteen years ago, I met this wonderful man when I was just beginning another relationship and would never consider having two relationships at the same time.

But one weekend I travelled to his city and we went to see The Phantom of the Opera. I stayed at the famous Windsor hotel, a most remarkably romantic, Victorian-era hotel. He met me in the foyer and we had a little snack and glass of Champaign before strolling to the theatre. I had secured fourth-row centre seats (right under the chandelier). The play went perfectly and he was surprised and thrilled at the music and the drama. He was also very attentive. It was fairy-book!

Afterwards, we strolled hand-in-hand back to the hotel, went into the grand dining area and had some supper and another glass of Chamaaign. Then, he walked me to my room. My heart was racing. From the day I had met him I had fancied him and even though I had not known him long, I loved his manners and gentlemanliness around me. He treated me like I was special.

And here he was at my hotel room door!

He took the key from my hand and opened the door and held it open as I walked through it. Then he stood at the entrance holding the door open and I leaned against the door jam with my heart screaming at me. He leaned in to kiss me and…I pulled away.

He smiled gently and bid me good night and I stood at that door and watched him walk away.

In all our eighteen years of wonderful and close friendship, he never again attempted a kiss! And I have kicked myself a hundred thousand times for the lost opportunity.

Well last night in my very long and very vivid dream, he kissed me (and that is all that happened for you perves because I woke up like Sleeping Beauty at the touch of his lips on mine)!

As I woke and realised what I had been dreaming I thought perhaps I was dying because of the unlikelihood of the dream – for I have not once, not EVER dreamed of his kissing me.

In fact, I have made up my mind that I am going to call him today and TELL him about the dream….because, who knows, people die suddenly and they never get to tell people how much they mean to them. I would hate to think he never hears about this silly dream or realises the longevity of my silly “crush” after all these years. And…perhaps he will come and kiss me just once, so I can tell how soft his lips are.

Is there someone you are dreaming about? Be brave and tell them…anything can happen today -- and when you least expect it.