Dreaming

 

I always dreamt before I slept

In the still watches of the night,

I dreamt of how it could have been

And how I could put it right.

O yes, I would be wide-awake

As I dreamt the night away

Hearing the clock tick the seconds

Long into the next day.

My dream would be reflective

Of the opportunities I missed

And how I planned to make it up

With my prioritized list.

Often too I would live the dream

As I lay upon my bed

Wishing and hoping all the time

It would not be just my head.

I have heard many people say

That dreaming was for the night

Not to be confused with daydreaming

When at work it wasn’t right.

Daydreaming was not permissible

So I did mine in the night

When I dreamt of what could be

To blot out my real life plight.

Often too I would go to sleep

And dream the very same dream

And then awake at the light of day

And be back to the real life scene.

How I wished it could happen

Just like it did in my dream:

The dream before I went to sleep

To off set my real life scene.

For life is more of a nightmare

When it doesn’t reflect your dream,

No wonder psychiatrists prescribe

It is sometimes good to scream.

Just like you would in a nightmare

As a result of your fright,

Do the same in your real life

As you reflect upon your plight.

For the reason that we daydream

Be it in the night or in the day,

Is when the life we currently live

Rolls out in a different way.

For I wouldn’t dream before I sleep

If I were living out my dream

For then my dream would be a nightmare

And a justified reason to scream.

I was typing this at 2:43 a.m.

When no doubt you were asleep,

I don’t know the time you’re reading now

But into my life you’ve had a peep.

The times that I am awake

When you are sleeping sound,

No doubt having your real dreams

In the land where dreams abound.

We are conscious in our daydreams

Maybe just barely

But in our dreaming when it comes

We do so unconsciously.

Permit me therefore to daydream

Especially when I do at night,

In the early watches of the morning

That’s how I deal with my plight.

Stewart Russell © July 2018