A Lovely Dream

smoky lights highlight the loneliness of the floor
an unearthly tune plays out from a jukebox –
an eerie jukebox unseen by human eyes.

staring out through the crowd milling about the floor,
i feel the uncomfortable weight of a voyeur and
the heavy heartedness of being alone.

a slow, melodic tune fills the air and
couples come from nowhere to dance –
dance to a tune of love’s true nature

i stand there, shifting back and forth,
uncomfortable in this voyeur’s role
life has resigned me to.

the smoke clears and the dancers leave,
leaving a path across the floor
clear as the mountain lake.

there he is, across the room, shifting
uncomfortably as i, desperately trying
not to intrude on another’s happiness.

i watch him – the angles of his face,
the posture of his frame, the sparkle of his eyes –
and i know him like no other.

my soul cries out in exhilaration –
it sings, “we have found him,” –
and pushes me forward onto the floor.

compelled to move and unable to stop,
i continue forward – achingly slow,
hesitantly, unsure of how to approach.

i approach – more unsure with each
step – feeling my heart race and
my pulse pound through my veins.

nervous, i stop in front of him,
not speaking, not moving –
just watching.


he looks up and our eyes meet –
a look that would consume entire crowds
leaps from face to face.

the song changes to a tune as old as time,
and we move to the dance floor,
never looking away from one another’s face.

he takes my hand and we come together,
locked in a dance that speaks of the forbidden,
and the world just falls away.

staring into his eyes is like staring back –
staring back into the depths of my soul –
and finally understanding… but what?

we press against one another and dance –
dance as if it is the only thing that will
keep us from being consumed in flames.

as the song fades, slowly and hauntingly,
so does he – fades back into the
obscurity of the dance floor spectators.

but before he is truly gone, one kiss is
given – a kiss that speaks volumes –
and he presents a lilac rose.

dawn arrives and i stretch from sleep,
not sure what is real and what was the dream,
and i sit up to greet the day.

across the room, ever so gently muted
against the darkness of the furniture,
stands the lilac rose.