Is This All A Dream?

By: Ariana Strong

 

Gliding. Gliding down from above 

Like sunlight through dense green leaves. 

Gently landing on soft, rich soil  

I look up through giant, blossoming trees 

Until I smell the clouds of peppermint after dark. 

Am I resting in the forest or is this all a dream?

 

Am I floating in the ocean or is this all a dream?

Diving. Diving into crisp, blue waves from above. 

Like the pelicans chasing fish until the sky goes dark.

I let the rushing waves carry me back to the leaves.

I drift down silent streams underneath bright palm trees 

Where iridescent shells call to me on sandy soil. 

 

Shifting. Shifting across miles of boiling soil. 

Am I expiring in the desert or is this all a dream?

There is no protection here, in a land of no trees. 

I am burning, hallucinating mirages from the sun beams above. 

I see sparkling water that dries my throat and fresh, cool leaves.

Like the inhabitants, I fight to survive before it all goes dark. 

 

Wishing. Wishing for warm rays where it remains solely dark. 

I wonder if under each icy step there was once soil 

And if there were too, palm trees with fresh leaves. 

Am I trekking in the arctic or is this all a dream?

Angrily, the northern sky pelts snow and ice from above 

Like the winter sky wants to make us into frosted trees. 

 

Unwinding. Unwinding underneath the wispy willow trees. 

The birds sing tune after tune and the horses gallop free until dark. 

I am welcomed by pesky pollen and buzzing bees from above

Like the arms of summer had cradled me while I lay on grassy soil. 

Am I dancing in the plains or is this all a dream?

Sweet flowers crown me as I dance under raining leaves. 

 

Changing. Changing seasons and colors of leaves,

And on every new horizon, new kinds of swaying trees. 

Am I exploring a new world or is this all a dream?

I rise with the sun at first light. I sleep as the moon rises in the dark. 

In every hemisphere I plant myself in its soil. 

Like a weed that knows no bounds despite its treatment from above. 

 

Admiring. Admiring the bright, sorbet sky above,

I find myself grounded by vines to wet, sandy soil.

Sinking under, I wake to a world that is solely dark.