Dreams

A dream is not an escape from life, but its key,
for dreams are the reasons that we sing and we breathe,
and as the sky must become dark before we can see the stars’ hues,
the times may be the darkest before your dreams will come true.

For my own life started as just a wish on a bead,
and I have given my counsel to servants and kings,
I have sipped café while strolling along a Parisian street,
seen morning stars dance on trees in the afternoon breeze.

I have sipped wine as dolphins surfed in the evening sun,
froze as the aurora twisted above me like a rose as it spun,
felt the perfect kiss on my lips as I fell into love’s arms,
and sailed a boat in the bay after watching as the whales played and swarmed.

And so, I say, that if I have ever done just one of these things,
that you must never, ever, forget one of your dreams.

Note: this poem was written in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, on “his” day this year, and equally inspired by a dear friend who had given up on his dreams.