The Dream Merchant

I

There was once a town

By a shaded wood

Where people didn't know

How to dream

They lived lives like clockwork toys

Rising and toiling with the sunrise

They had their meals at a fixed time

And made love to their wives

Once a month

In this town there were no artists

Nor writers or preachers

For the word of God was unknown here

 II

There was once a merchant

Who lived in Baghdad

He sold one type of ware

His cargo was dreams

He had dreams about every subject

Dreams that were happy, sad and fulfilled or abandoned

He kept them in little glass bottles

And sold them for coin

The merchant would come into the market

With his sack full of dreams

Dainty as a clown, he would pluck one out

And hand it to the lost

III

The merchant travelled far and wide

Seeking to imprison dreams

Which he would then sell

For a price of course

His travels brought him to our little town

By the edge of the wood

Where nobody had seen a dream

And the people did not believe

IV

The merchant put up at the inn

And noticed the idiosyncrasies

Of the people in the town

When asked what he sold

He replied "Dreams"

"What is a dream?" they asked

Regarding him with awe

And so he told them of his wares

Long into the night

V

The merchant woke early

And set up his wares

People flocked to his stall

Seeking a dream to wrap themselves in

Before long his wares were all sold

And a handsome sum he had made

He then packed up and prepared to leave

Promising to come again

But he never returned

To the town he had taught to dream

VI

The dreams they bought gave them hope

But soon they began to despair

For the merchant was a wicked man

And had sold them nightmares

And so it came to be

That the inhabitants went mad with grief

And their dreams lay shattered on the hearth

In pieces at their feet

VII

So should you meet this merchant, friend

Beware of what he sells

For his dreams are not happy or healthy

And he is clever and crafty

Dare to dream on your own

Dream of a better tomorrow

A world without anger and pain

And lots and lots of rain

Dream of love, dream of peace

Dream of discoveries and happy things

Do not let dream turn to nightmare

For then the dream merchant has fooled you

And you are naught but his tool

The Bilge Master