The Dream

 

I found myself at a funeral,

For an elderly man well dressed,

Behind a young boy I stood,

As we approached to view the coffin.

The pale face was as if asleep,

And we turned to a sound behind us,

Being startled for just an instant,

We both looked back at the coffin.

His head was now turned,

Gazing at the boy with closed eyes,

One finger raised to his lips,

As if to silently say,

“Don’t say a word.“

I felt tingling weakness,

The draining sensation of fear,

As I turned to leave the church,

 Walking to a park playground,

To see the settling sight of children.

A girl turned in the sand and rose,

Walking awkwardly in my direction,

Plucking limbs from children as she passed,

Which each child began to play with,

Carrying one limb closer to me,

With her mouth gaping open,

A blank stare from missing eyes,

Ants streaming from her lips,

She raised the fingered limb to her mouth,

“Shhhhhhhhhhh!”

Rising I ran into the street,

Uncertain where to go,

The world embraced in silence,

Accept for a thumping which grew louder.

From behind a taxi rolled close,

No engine was running,

I quickly stepped to the side,

And saw the passenger trapped,

Banging on the windows,

Tears rolling down her face.

The was driver slumped over the wheel,

Lifeless on the verge of decay,

Black oozing from his ear,

He turned his vacant eyes to me,

Raising a finger to his lips,

“Shhhhhhhhhhh…”

I ran until the street ran out,

To where the land meets the water,

And the freedom of the horizon,

Yet there was no solace to be seen.

I then saw them in the water,

They were floating face down,

Except for one struggling beneath,

Except for one who looked like a child,

I jumped into the water to help,

But he was nowhere to be seen.

From the cold depth I looked up,

The bodies silhouetted against the sun,

Each slowly moved one finger before the mouth,

And terror collected its toll,

With my screams trapped in rising bubbles,

Everything went black.

I awoke in my room,

Walked quickly to the window,

Opening for some fresh air,

Everything normal as it should be.

Yet the neighbor’s security light flickering,

Revealed a silhouette hanging from the branches,

Neck and rope turning the face to me,

Slowly one finger begins to rise…

I finally awoke from the dream,

Awake to a nightmarish reality,

Where Americans harm other Americans,

For a difference of opinion,

 Inciting violence with words,

Replacing understanding with hate,

As the blind spread the disease of blindness.

For when God was forsaken,

So was justice and order,

As the godless void within us,

Collapses the soul,

And we become like walking dead.