Last night I dreamed I sank into the depths of some great ocean.
I went down, right down to the bottom of the sea and
There I saw a wooden chest.
And then a mermaid appeared and smiled, and indicated
That I should open it.
But having done as she had asked,
I thought at first I had made a mistake,
For I beheld countless stars shining in the depths of the chest,
Which appeared to be as large and as wide as the sky.
And even as I thought this, those stars rose up and surrounded me
And then, dismayed, I saw them floating up until they reached
The surface of the sea,
Where they were taken by the tides and currents
And swept away to every corner of the Earth.
***
When I awoke, I felt sad for the loss of those stars.
But then I realised it had been a dream, and
I fell asleep again and dreamed I laboured down a mine.
And I was hot and weary and grimy as I crawled
Through low passages, searching for precious stones.
It was tiresome work but finally,
Rounding a corner, I saw a distant glow and
As I drew near, I saw a gem that shone amidst the darkness.
I found then I carried pick and hammer, and
Any number of chisels, so I set to work.
After much labour I held the gemstone in my palm and
The light from this treasure seemed to flow out from my hand,
And illuminate every corner of the mine.
This gladdened my heart, but one appeared who I had been dreading,
Although I had not known it until that very moment,
And they took the jewel from my hand and disappeared,
I knew not where.
***
And so again I awoke and then
I slept a third time – troubled sleep! – this time
I dreamed I walked on crowded streets
And watched the many who surrounded me
And listened to their talk.
These were the conversations carried on
By every man and woman who had ever lived,
Or ever would.
But after time their speech became confusing;
I could no longer distinguish any words, and then
The world fell silent, although they still spoke,
And still I watched and found that I could see their speech,
And all their conversations floated on the breeze
Before me,
For their speech was made of stars and gemstones,
Mingled now with flowers and with ash.
Mingled now with night soil and with butterflies.
And I was content with that, and now slept deeply.
This needs a “love” option. “Like” does not do justice to it. It is really beautiful, Mick.
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Thank you, Rama! That’s very kind!
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I agree!
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Thanks, Jill
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Mick, this is a wonderful poem. I am transported by your dreams and their magic.
Miriam
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Thanks, Miriam!
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Mick this is some heavens coming down and manifesting.
You are lucky to have such a dream and then go to deep sleep.
I think you will be blessed with something very good in the days to come.
Fond Regards
Shiva
👍👌
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Thanks, Shiva. Best wishes to you.
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I really like this..you have a talent with words and feelings
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Thank you, Mary!
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This is awesome poetry and that sure r the lost words so well composed, Mick
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Thanks, Kamal.
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Welcome Mick
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Probably one of the nicest poetic stories ever.
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Gosh, thanks, Jason!
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Well done. Sounds like one of those dreams you wake up tired after.
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Busy dream, Jan!
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Fabulous words Mick, really enjoyed that. Like the idea of conversations and words floating away on the breeze, forever drifting to unknown destinations. Really good.
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Thanks, Jonno. I’m beginning to think that must be why I frequently find it difficult to find the right word, nowadays. Nothing to do with age, of course…
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This was just beautiful, Mick! Well done!
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Thanks, Ann.
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Beautiful poem … spectacular imagery!
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Very kind, Jill, thank you!
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Excellent! wonderful imagery, and I love the unexpectedness of the storyline.
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Thanks, Robert. I was slightly worried it might be a little transparent, but I suppose that’s because I knew the ending.
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Oh gosh, Mick, this gave me goosebumps! Wow! Really good.
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Oh, thanks, Val!
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There is Reality there, my Dear Mick, particularly at the ending. But. Am still thinking how You were ‘content’ after finding the words/gemstones, ‘Mingled now with night soil…’ …At Peace, maybe? 🙂 Regards.
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Content because all those words have a place in speech and conversation. All of them are needed.
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And for the Internet you labored and chiseled and extracted a gem.
And we came and took it from you and admired its beauty.
But it is still yours, while the Internet continues its ceaseless babble.
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Even when you write prose you have a poetic turn of phrase, Dave. I’m definitely waiting for your first poems! Thank you!
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Just echoing your piece, Mick. And I think I did throw some haiku out there a couple times.
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I’m beginning to suspect you might be a closet poet…
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Visionary poem inviting the reader’s interpretation. There’s a width of experience in “Mingled now with flowers and with ash / Mingled now with night soil and with butterflies.” Henry James said, ‘Tell a dream and lose a reader” but I stayed happily to the end. What does HJ know! 🙂
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I don’t know, but maybe he meant not to attempt to interpret that dream? Thanks, Dave. I’m delighted you stayed to the end!
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Wonderful poetry.
This makes me think. Are we just foolish to be worried by possessions and materials? Dreams are real while we are in them. What more can we say of life?
As either Aristotle or Plato (Not sure which one) once said, years from now there shall be a great awakening. And we shall see that it was all a dream.
Just some random thoughts.
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We are certainly happier if we don’t shape our lives around possessions, yes.
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Agreed.
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