Saturday, July 05, 2008

Lamentation of the Dream Un-Winged

From a distance, Dream watched Man staring out his tiny window, a glass of liquor in his hand. Man was gazing unseeingly at the clouds almost completely concealing the rising moon, sadness hugging him tightly. The soft breeze was sighing, and the crickets were eerily quiet.

Dream’s heart went out to Man, despite himself. After all, they used to be inseparable, the best of friends. A tear threatened to fall down Dream’s cheeks, which he was quick to control. He was surprised to find that it was such an effort to fight off his tears.

“Ah, my friend,” Dream whispered through the air. “It saddens me to see that the bright light you once had has considerably dimmed. I would so much want to comfort you, if I could. But I need comforting, too. Because like you, I am also feeling wretched, for I failed to become what destiny designed me to be.”

Dream paused, feeling silly. He knew Man couldn’t hear him. But then, he thought he saw Man look in his direction, but maybe he didn’t.

After some time, Dream continued with his anguished whispering.

“I feel bad that you failed, because your failure is mine, too. But what can I do? I did everything to steer you in the right direction. I made myself your inspiration, your driving force. I always accompanied you in your youth; I used to sit by your side as you planned your moves back when you still thought that the future looked so bright. Wasn’t I the one who kept whispering in your ears to keep going whenever you were down? I held the torch for you every time you walked along dark alleys.

“We were such a team. We could have reached very far. Yes, I had no doubt about that, especially when you cloaked me with hope and armed yourself with potential. I thought we would soon take off. And I believe we would have made it, if only you didn’t back out at the last minute; if only you didn’t chain yourself and me to your fears.

“You should have let me spread my wings across the vast sky because I was meant to fly, to soar. I was meant to grow up and transform into reality. But you didn’t let me. Instead, you un-winged me. Look at me, look at me. Look and see how shattered I’ve become, with my wings now broken and useless." Then, losing his control, Dream let out his anguish, as rivers upon rivers of tears flowed down his cheeks.

In his tiny window, Man was pitying and cursing the weakling that he was, as sighs capped his frustration, and alcohol was drowning his mind.

Outside, there was still an eerie stillness. The wind was refusing to move, and the leaves were afraid to stir. The crickets had gone to sleep. The moon was still hidden behind the dark clouds, afraid to shine.

Then there was lightning, followed by a loud thunder. But Man was already too drunk to notice. He didn't know it was Dream howling.

[seb/20 June, 2008; 10:46pm]

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

what a thoughtful story . We all never wait for the magic to happen . we just pray and go away . its ritual to stay in temple for 2 mionutes after you finish prayer . let universe shower its love , give universe some time.

Payperbiz said...

Painful personification, I can read it over and over again since it speaks of reality. We should avoid living with "what if's" (Sigh...)

Raft3r said...

love your writings
astig!
bigla ako nahiya sa sarili ko
hehe

count me in as one of your new fans

care to exchange links?

hope to hear from you soon

greetings from Baltimore!

brainteaser said...

Hi Data Entry!

SONNET! I am a dreamer, and I make leaps when I know I must... but there are still times when I take a step back. When fear and uncertainties grip me, I tell myself I'm not going to lose anything if I try what I can to pursue my dream. But now, I have something more to motivate me: I cannot let my Dream accuse me of not giving it the chance to "grow up and become a reality."

RAFT3R! Yay, I'd definitely love to link you here and in my other blogs. Kaloka ka, friendster. Natawa naman ako sa sinabi mo. Have a good day. I'm so glad I have two new blogger-friends. YOU and SONNET.

Anonymous said...

this kind of plot could be a winning entry again, this time in Palanca or KWF...mayat man asang...ang..f

Raft3r said...

hehe
i linked you na
lemme know pag na-add mo na din ako
thanks
=)

greetings from Baltimore!

brainteaser said...

You think so, Anonymous? Ney, urayak la nag-blush, dakayo ang... f! Hmmm....


Raft3r! Linked ka na, friendster! Take care! :-)

Anonymous said...

You area good story writer.Your thoughts are really unique and interesting.

Anonymous said...

You have given a living character to your dream. What a unique thought it is!