A Poet Dreams

Poem: A Poet Dreams

By Dr. Archan Mehta

If you were to ask me:

Why do you dream?

I would have to respond:

Why, I don’t know for sure.

I can’t explain it logically,

Rationally, but I dream anyway.

Unapologetically, without your permission.

I am not concerned

If the masses find that weird.

So what?

I will dream anyway.

A young lady, who discovered

My habit, called me a

Freak of nature and ran away.

So be it: I will dream.

I may fall silent or I may scream.

This is only a dream, my dream.

I don’t owe you an explanation,

So don’t expect one.

You will be disappointed,

I warn you, so

Mind your own business:

By the way, please and thank you,

To be polite, but let me dream.

I dream and enter a no man’s land.

But I demand solitude and silence.

I want to be left alone, so

That I can dream. I promise

I will bring you no trouble.

I mean you no harm. I am,

After all, a man of goodwill,

A cultured person, a gentleman.

But leave me alone,

So I can dream.

If I am struck by an idea,

Suddenly and unexpectedly,

I promise to leave your gas

Station, convenience store,

Restaurant, hotel, etc.

I may retire to a forest,

Jungle, park or garden,

So I can dream

In splendid isolation.

I may choose to sing

Without disturbing the peace,

But I will dream.

After all, dreaming

Sure beats our ugly

Reality hands down:

Dollar for dollar,

Euro for euro,

Rupee for rupee,

And pound for pound.

I tilt my head towards

The sky and I start to dream.

I can make excuses to dream.

No problems. No issues.

No worries. No pressures.

Stay away from me,

Please, so that I can dream.

And don’t expect me

To be normal else

I will loudly scream.

I am engaged to my dream.

By the way, just for your

Kind information, normality

Is overrated and mediocrity

Is a virtue in the world of today.

So let me avoid the crowds,

Mobs and herds because

I want to dream.

Please don’t create

Obstacles for me.

Please don’t manipulate

The narrative.

Please don’t gossip and

Spread rumors and say,

For example, that I

Am a crazy person.

I wish to enter this

Inferno of nothingness:

This void pleases me

And I like oblivion.

I wish to remain obscure,

Irrelevant, almost as

If I don’t even exist.

I am prepared to do almost

Anything, so I can dream.

I don’t want to be a

Productive and contributing

Member of society, for I

Prefer to dream. I don’t

Want to be responsible,

Accountable, respectable,

And an adult. I prefer to

Be like a child who dreams.

I have no goal to reach,

I have nothing to buy or sell,

I just believe in my dream.

I have trust in my dream.

I am a man of faith,

So I dream: it takes a

Leap of faith to dream.

I dropped out of society,

A long time ago:

Consumerism, capitalism,

Materialism, ownership,

Privatization, hoarding,

Showing off, etc.

Seemed rather

Vulgar to me.

No, thank you.

I have few needs

And I know how

To live within

My means, so I

Have the freedom to dream.

When I dream,

I can walk on water,

I can bring the

Dead back to life,

I can nurture babies and

Show them a good time,

Release a caged bird

Into the vast, open sky,

I can persuade a turtle

To emerge from it shell,

And provide solace

To a grieving widow.

When I dream,

I am able to rid

Our planet of

Weapons of mass destruction,

I can restore the balance

Of nature and prevent

Diseases and pandemics,

I am able to prevent

Natural disasters,

And the mass slaughter

Of innocent lives,

I can help a little,

Old lady cross

The street and

Carry her groceries

And deliver her

To her home,

Safe and sound.

I dream to restore

Eyes to the blind,

Cure those who are sick,

Suck the poison out of

A patient suffering

From terminal cancer,

And feed our starving

World with loaves,

Fishes, mangoes, honey,

Sweets, and smoothies.

I can be good and noble

And selfless only

In my dreams.

I can make this world

A better place only

If I am allowed to dream.

So, you wild things,

Why don’t you spare

A moment to dream?

************