Tag: dreams

and you

Published on by ARisoLeave a comment

I always loved dreaming,
usually partaking in fantastical,
outrageous situations.

I’ve lived through multiple apocalypses,
assassinations, attacks from tigers and bears, et cetera.
I’ve seen people morph into insects
and household items into reptiles.
I’ve experienced physical pain.

And yet.
These dreams do not
compare to the others —
the ones that feel too realistic
and too present and too possible.

My brain and heart ache
in a way my fantastical dreams
never make me feel.

This is all to say,
I had a dream about you.

It was short and sweet,
most of it lost to whatever place
dreams go.

I met your family,
mom and dad greeting me
with hugs. Your mom and I
talked for a long time.
I really liked them.

And I think they liked me.

I’ve tried to dissect the dream,
and there is one obvious
truth there, laying like
a corpse in a shallow grave.

Maybe it’s simply
a reminder to cradle hope.
Maybe it means
nothing at all.

I could take a guess,
but will I ever really know?

Dream-me > me

Published on by ARiso1 Comment

A part of me wishes I was more like the self I encounter in dreams —

you know,
the girl with unwavering loyalty and tactical agility,
who could climb two stories and bust through a window
to save your life or

the girl who mixed poisons on a hillside to survive the eco-apocalypse
while acid rain corroded the van’s roof or

the girl who led a defense against zombie-bears
mere minutes after being chased by a tiger on the beach or

the girl who found love in open arms,
no matter how often she felt like a sham.

Maybe I am these things:
minor combinations of tactical skill and emotional availability
to embrace the complicated life this is without the clear danger signs
of radioactive material, broken glass, frenzied animals, or deafening hallways.

Maybe, just maybe, I am worth saving, like the dream on the beach
where the tiger nearly got me — minus the tiger and the ocean.

Maybe

I am worthy

of something in this life.

Hair.

Published on by ARisoLeave a comment

Another dream has come and gone.

This one, both like and unlike the others,
featured you.

You weren’t doing anything particular,
at least not at the start.

It was our first interaction in a long time,
but it felt so natural.

There was some greater plot at work,
this dream not wholly about us.

There was murder, destruction,
and a job needing to be done, but

I only remember us.
I remember you.

I sat on the couch,
or, moreover, laid

with my head on the cushion
and both legs flung over the back.

It was like old times,
sort of.

I forgot what my mission was
and where I needed to go.

I forgot that I was strong,
that I was powerful.

I sank into the comfort
of us,

but it wasn’t comfort,
exactly.

It was an unknowing
that I embraced.

Then, you interrupted
the stagnant air of

our quiet moment.
You reached out to touch my hair.

Gently, you pulled locks
toward you, and

I stayed still,
unsure of what this meant.

Outside, a war
carried on without our notice.

I looked at you,
wanting to say something.

Only, your eyes were so sad;
you looked lost.

I’d only ever seen that face
in the mirror.

I wanted to comfort you,
to say,

“Are you okay?
What happened to us?”

Yet, I awoke
with the questions

still on my lips.