Dusty Dreams

There once was a boy who had a dream and then another and another
He had so many dreams and he dreamed he would live them all
The boy was sent from home to learn to be good and to learn how to learn
The boy laughed and played and his heart grew in wild ways, reflecting each child he met there

Happy days passed and the boy continued to dream
He had so many dreams that he knew he could never live them all
He knew he had to be responsible, so he let most of the dreams go
He missed them, but the few dreams he held onto were precious, so he didn’t mind

The boy grew in many was that surprised him
He put away his precious few dreams, to keep them safe
He learned about the world and people and they scared him
He didn’t know what to do, so he did nothing, pretending it was something

The boy spent many years toiling until he was no longer a boy
He learned how to show up, stay quiet, and pretend to care
He was hurt and tired, but he kept on working because he had to
One day, he looked around and realized that he was actually asleep

The man was heartbroken to find himself awakened to a world he didn’t want
The things he didn’t need and the people he didn’t like surrounded him like bars
He cried inside, breathed in, then out
He nearly gave up to go back to sleep, then a child’s smile made him think

He dusted off his old dreams, safely stowed away
He marveled at them and they sparked a light within his mind
The knowledge and tools he had were his alone to use
He had brought other people’s dreams to life, so why not his?

He plotted and planned and schemed and his heart was whole again
As he worked towards one dream, it grew and changed, until it became another dream
He had so many dreams that he knew he could never live them all
He promised himself to fight to make every dream come true until his final sleep