I dream of flying

not in the sky,

but in the way

that a dream

soaring far above our heads

can lift our feet

into the air.

I dream of meaning

something.

Not to myself

but to someone else,

someone in the future

looking at me

my lined face and gray hair

and saying

"Because of you

the world is changed."

I dream of mastery,

of furrowed brows

late at night,

bubbling test tubes,

and a spark of light

above my head

in a cliche light bulb.

I dream of experiments,

deep discussions

and theories

carrying me away

from usual reality,

as if a bubble of thought

swiped me up

in its path,

and would not let go.

I dream of science,

of lab coats and chemicals,

of a beautiful mess

made of hopes and discovery.

I dream of this

not because it is impossible

but because it is possible,

and one day I

might look down below

from all those stars above the Earth

to where my feet first left the ground

when my dream swept me away

and reflect

on just

how

far

I've

come.