Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Fag End of a Lousy Day

Daylight means a lot of things
From the moment the sun rises in the east
A new day begins 
24 hours, divided between toil and rest
Something so standard and taken for granted 
Can mean different things to different people
Today might be the day Susan got married 
Today might be Harry's last
Today could be the day a student gets into college
Today could be the start of a new job
When the day ends and it's night
The hour of witches becomes nigh
Raven hair and ruby lips
Incantations pouring forth from decimated dreams 
We fear the dark and relish the light 
For we can see in light 
And yet for us nyctophiles, the night is full of potential
And besides, we have artificial light
The night is a time for dreaming 
A child put to bed dreams of being an astronaut 
Of hearalding a mission to an unknown planet
Only to find humans there 
Meanwhile in the morning 
The child gets a standard education
He is told aliens don't exist
But they do
They're in his dreams 
They call to him ceaselessly
He attempts to make sense of mathematics 
While in his head Spaceman Spiff and a stuffed tiger 
Go on adventures together 
Tell me, are we adults by day and children by night?
We go to jobs or school
And yet dare to dream too
Meanwhile we get older and older 
Sometimes wiser 
Sometimes sadder 
Sometimes happier 
And we dream on
For what else do we have 
At the fag end of a lousy day
But dreams, which give us the courage to get out of bed the next morning?

The Bilge Master 

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