Do You Dream?

A poem prompt about dreams...

I remember when I was a boy

And that day I fell in the woods

I laid there, on the soft grass, in joy

Because it was the first time I felt I could

The first time I felt a sense of wonder

Where rules need not apply

Because in dreams you discover

That you don’t have to say goodbye

You can be whoever you want to be

“One day I’ll be writing in Hollywood”

Admittedly, they did fade to some degree

I was no longer the boy that felt he could

I don’t gaze at the sky like I did that day

But sometimes I think maybe just maybe

If I lay back on that grass today

I’ll see what my young mind saw in me

Maybe I’ll allow my soul to implore

And remember to fail with bliss

Because I know one thing’s for sure

We only get one shot at this

--

I wrote this poem as a bit of a challenge. I usually take a few days to write something out. I like to sit with my writings and read them over, see if I'm happy with it or not. But in this case, I wanted to actually write something the same day I share it.

The prompt for this poem is "Do You Dream?" from an excellent Instagram account: @alexandramichellepoetry .

This is what I came up with.

I've struggled with dreams in the past because I have wanted to do, see, and be so many things. But life sometimes veers you off the paths you think are meant for you, for better or for worse.

For most of my twenties I've been depressed, not quite knowing exactly what I want to do with my life. I was constantly comparing myself to others and wondering what they had that I didn't. I think I lost that wonder in what dreams are, and what you can become.

But with time I learned lessons, I healed, and am in a much better headspace than I think I've ever been. So I'm dreaming again, or at least trying to.

If there's one lesson that's worth sharing it's this: nothing worth having in life comes easy. If you're reading this, I hope you don't give up. Because, at the end of the day, the saddest thing that can possibly happen is us not trying.

-JTC