In a cradle of dreams
 

She met the man of her dreams in her

Dreams, after which it was believed no

Man on earth could possibly match the

Starlit notion of perfection exposed and

Explicit in the heart of the night when

The moon shines in judgement and the

Dream-levers of paradise are stroked,

Coaxed, and cajoled by angels satisfied

Only when the heart of a lady has been

Won and the willing gaze of a man of

Godlike stature watches over her as

She sleeps peacefully in a cradle of

Dreams.

‘Did I tell you I love you’? Whispered a

Voice unheeded, unheard, drowned out

By a wild desire on the part of a lady for

Sleep. Urged on by the thought of once

Again giving way to the hungry thrust of

A consummate lover safe in the knowledge

That heavens gates are locked and barred

Against entry by lesser men. Oh, the joy

Of such nights, who could want for more

When all there is, all there ever will be, is

Within easy reach?

Ah, yes, easy reach, but what prize worth

Winning has ever been found within easy

Reach? Gold is not found within easy

Reach, nor has one ever found diamonds

Waiting to be plucked from a tree, or for

That matter a humble lump of coal blazing

In the hearth bringing warmth and comfort

To a cold house. And like a cold house here

Then was a lady lost in a world of her own

Unable to escape the comforting illusions

Of a playful moon and thus failing in every

Particular to see matters of the heart closer

To home still waiting in desperate need of

At least a sign sufficient to inspire hope.

In another cradle of dreams a besotted

Soul stood back in the shadows patiently

Waiting his turn to be noticed in the hope

That fate might one day smile in his direction.

His spirits were low and had been for some

Time but his heart was true, true to the one

Woman who had long ago caught his eye

And his heart in a tender trap from which

There was no exit and never would be, for

Love had his number and his number had

Yet to be called.

But I digress, and so too it appears did the

Once precious dreams of a lady, when love

Suddenly gave up the ghost and nights gave

Way to dreams of an entirely different nature.

Troubling dreams, worrying dreams, perplexing

Dreams, horrific dreams, ‘'planes falling from

The sky dreams, mid-air collisions, aircraft

Spiralling out of control in a screaming frenzy

Of flaming wreckage.

Oh, dreams, what mystical conundrums

They are and what change in the fortunes

Of the heart brought them about, and why

Now she wondered should they suddenly

Come to pass? Her mind in a whirl she

Could find no reason to explain the change,

No reason to explain the sudden loss of

Drams of love and affection now so sorely

Missed and lamented. Behind the scenes

And unknown to the lady the angels had

Tired of the game and felt it was time the

Lady gave a little more that just her time to

The art of love-making and thus conceived

Of a plan very likely to turn her head in a

Quite another direction.

Thoughts of crashing aeroplanes turned

Worrying nights into worrying days. There

Had to be an answer somewhere and she

Was determined to find it ASAP and find it

She did. There on the internet, the words of

An all-seeing eye of renown, author of a

Celebrated in-sight into ‘dreams and what

They may mean’. Words that told her all she

Needed to know about loss of confidence,

Self-doubt, goals not reached, future failure

Waiting in the wings, and above all, failure

To reach that most cherished goal of all e.g.

Finding true love in the arms of another

Human being. Crashing aircraft a metaphor

For uncertainty, wherein all thoughts of

Happiness like doomed aircraft come

Crashing to the ground.

The plan was working and the angels were

Pleased with their work thus far, but clearly

More needed to be done and would be done

As ever, via the sterling services of a dream,

Only this time - a dream like no other of late.

Why, the lady wondered was she bathing at

This hour of the night, and who was it liad her

Lingerie out in perfect order on the bed? Going

Along with a scheme she was unable to resist

Time seemed to melt away, it was not now the

Hour she thought it was, but Hey! Who cares?

Slipping into naughtiness of the sheerest kind

She felt renewed, refreshed and somehow

Quite a different woman to the woman she

Was an hour or so ago.

A shimmering backless number in red, (the

Devil wears red) completed her ensemble and

Not a minute too soon for a knock on the door,

And a peep through a curtain, revealed a swish

Limousine and driver waiting to whisk the lady

Off into the night.

In another part of town another driver knocked

On another door and another limousine waited

Outside for another very special passenger.

This time a man of Godlike stature complete in

Top hat and tails, spats, stick pin and polished

Nails. Where he was going he knew not, save for

The curious shenanigans over a late night shower

And the puzzling 'who laid the suit on the bed '

Business, he was certain it was all just another

Dream.

But dream it was not! Far from it, for the late-night

Club was in full swing when two grand cars silently

Rolled up outside and two occupants alighted one

From each magnificent motorcar, she accidentally

Dropping her purse, he politely picking it up. Their

Eyes met, their hearts sang and somewhat later

She whispered ‘Am I dreaming'? To wit he replied,

'Yes, my love, you are dreaming, I think we both are'.

© Joseph G Dawson
25/09/2018