Dreams: Why Are They Here

What Is the Significance? Is There?

Thank you Sander Sammy on Unsplash

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I had a dream last night 
Or was it this morning?
My dad was in it
He was not how he had been 
When he died
He was not 73
He was perhaps in his mid 40s

He was hale and healthy
He was slightly plump and stout
and he looked well very very well
I was happy to see him like that

He sat like he usually does
Opposite me and leaned 
Towards me intently 
Talking something to me 
Seriously 
What was he saying?
Beats me

I wish I remembered that part
But no matter how 
I hit my head hard
Against what
It doesn’t come back to me 
Just that part

But that doesn’t really matter
Maybe that’s why 
I am unable to remember 
Because what happened next 
Is the most significant matter 

The next scene I see
Is that somebody—
A stranger 
Is in the back of my home 
Doing something 
Perhaps kidnapping? 
Someone precious?

Is it my daughter?
No doesn’t seem to be
Didn’t evoke 
An immediate response 
Of pain or passion 

Maybe my son perhaps?
Nay, couldn’t be
He could tackle anyone 
And win! Heh


Maybe it’s my brother 
Yes that must be
Because when my dad was 40
My brother must have been just 3

Bird maybe he was slightly older
Perhaps my dad was 45
And my brother 8
Maybe that must be right
Because he looked that height 
To my eyes

Why is God 
Giving me something 
To write everyday?
Perhaps this is why—

He teaches his lessons 
When I sleep and wake up
And I write because 
I need to chronicle my life
So it may help not only me 
But somebody out there
Even if just one 

Maybe someday what I write 
Will come handy 
For another who reads 
What I write today
Perhaps it’s all meant to be 
This way 

Let’s go back to the dream now
And finish telling the story:

As it turned out
The next scene I see
Is my dad and family 
Cowering in the front room 
Of the house 
Facing towards the door inside 
That leads to the back

And it’s not just him
I see at least another two people 
With him
Perhaps three
Were those my mom 
Sister and Aatchi?

Couldn’t have been Aatchi 
She’d run inside and kill him
First thing she’d get 
Her hands on 
So couldn’t be she
That part was out of focus
As I only saw him—
my dad cowering in fright 

Where was I?
I am standing opposite to him 
watching what’s happening 
And then I get an idea

Why don’t I go around the house 
To the back 
and see what this guys up to 
Who he is 
Why is he here 
What’s actually going on there

And so i go right away
Next scene:
I am far away from the back of the home 
It is night time
I see this guy clearly now
But I don’t see my brother with him
Oh no I don’t see him

But instead I see the guy 
holding up something
Is it a gun?
I see some neighbors waking up
Coming out of their homes 
Just three or four of them 
To the right 
Of where I am standing 

They are talking to him 
Trying to make sense 
Grouping up while talking 
And to my left 
There seems to be a condo 

All the lights are on now
I see people coming out 
Of their homes
Trying to make sense of the noise 
Going on below
Did I alert them? 
I think so

I’m thinking how to 
Strangle this guy now
And that’s when 
I wake up from my dream

And I tell myself—definitely 
I have crowd now
That could organize together 
Bravely  
And catch him 
This chum 

I wonder what could be 
The significance of this dream?
Why did my dad appear 
As if to teach me something
And then why did he cower 
In fear ?
How did I get the courage then 
And the clear mind 
To do what I then did?

Clearly I wasn’t that kid in the dream
I doubt I would have moved 
Beyond my dad 
Having seen him cower in fear

And yet I did not just go beyond 
But thought intelligently 
How to tackle this problem 
That showed up suddenly 
In our lives 

Who is this strange 
yet good looking young man?
What did he want from us?
Why did he wield a weapon 
To get what he needed 

And why did we not try 
To understand him 
In that instance 
But rather reacted 
And tried to tackle him 
And catch him 
And break him to pieces?

Why? 
What was the significance 
of this dream?
Is it about what’s happening 
in this country?

No it was not young DJT? 
I doubt it
Or Elon 
Or any of the other chaps in his cabinet 
Or the billionaires 
Shamelessly courting him

It cannot be what’s happening 
To the country
Oh no it can’t 
So it must be what’s happening 
Within my family

Who was this nice looking stranger guy 
Who was bent on giving us a hard time?
Who could it be? 
And why?

One thing that I learned though 
Is that I can think 
When I am faced with fright 
And I can make decisions 
On the spot decisions 

I can make a difference 
I can try to close the deal 
Without hurting anyone 
Or my family 
Or me
Yes I can try

I can try to do what’s right 
In fearful circumstances 
Oh I remember now 
Trying to pick some coconut shells 
and throwing them at him 

Did it work? 
Did I even throw them?
I’m not sure
But fear
It was not going to bother 
Me tonight

I didn’t cower in fear
I couldn’t care less 
I was focused on the task at hand
Focused at finishing this ordeal 
Coconut shells or not

Remember I was not very old 
In my dream 
Just a little child of perhaps 
Sixteen or seventeen
Old enough to be an adult 
Young enough to be a teen
But not completely either 
Not fully formed yet

So that was important
That was significant 
Because thinking about 
Throwing coconut shells 
At that age was good

Except it probably wasn’t 
If he was wielding a weapon 
A gun that could shoot me 
And yet I was unafraid
I was being heroic in fact 
Trying to protect my family
My neighbors and friends 

By trying my best to tackle 
This menace
This good looking stranger man
I can pat myself on my back 
Saying—Good job girl!

Now I’m curious—
What would you have done?
If you had been in my spot?
At that age of sixteen or seventeen
Encountering a strange 
Good looking young man 
Holding a weapon of significance 
In your backyard 
In the back of your house?

Think about this!

Peace ✌️ 

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