Dear Dreams,

 

The alarm buzzes, blares.

Water patters on pavement,

Streams slide urgently down paned glass,

An early fog shrouds the evergreens and the mottled brown, white neighborhood.

You slip away,

As quickly as the sloshing in the gutter.

But in the early mornings,

Your mess from last night lingers in the corners of my mind.

You shout at me to remember,

Behind the buzz, the blare, of the alarm.

My hair sticks out wrong today,

My breath needs brushing today,

My dreams were exciting today,

I shut the alarm.

Rummage for socks in the unfolded laundry.

Stumble out the door.

Shuffle in the frigid air.

Stiffen as the schoolbus grinds to a halt

Over a thousand uncountable seconds.

You whisper now,

I crunch a leaf.

Think about the scent of the bark on a nearby tree.

There was something to do.

Something like a pencil tilting off the edge of the desk.

Something I’m forgetting.

We’re into class now, 3rd period AP Government

No windows,

No view of the muddied sidewalk

Sodden schoolyard.

Sunlight sloshed across the open face of the school.

Cirrus sifting through the morning air.

A gale!

“Stop dreaming!”

I dreamt about you

But when I tell them about you,

All that remains is your sullen scent

Like rain over dewy green blades

Like blue clear skies.

You’re silent.

I’ve forgotten all but the,

Buzz

Blare

The alarm.

 

Forgetfully,

Michael