dreams

I CAN'T TAKE BACK MY DREAMS
by
DENNIS SCHWARTZ

Dear K, A tiny moon smiles through its perforated breath.
The rural crescents still miss the quiet of the darkness and the hands of the hickory trees.
And, the children remain nameless in the inner city as they cry out for a love
that calls them by someone else's name.
------
Dear S, Wisdom twists in the blood of a snake like a venom.
The Sea of Galilee looks pretty darn good to a tourist without a hotel reservation.
The old apple trees in New Hope, Pa, bring out the fall rain.
A young Proustian can get a view of his room
when he paints himself
in a different light.
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Dear Fran, sometimes we don't see each other
because our silence can't take its eyes off us.
In L.A. they'll yell back at you, "You'll always
find someone here for yourself."

Dreams create meaningless creatures in us
who seem to take our love for theirs.
-----
The man who pities your loneliness
is afraid of his.
Pain is the soul
of the body
that is unborn.

(Thought reflects nothing)

Do you think someone is listening
to your misery without wanting
something in return?
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Dear C, It's as hard as hell to live in eternity
when you are not dead.

A lullaby sounds
like a great idea
of less importance
than one that
is impossible to sing.
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