Open me up,
like daylight
wakes the sunflower.
I have been asleep,
dreaming of strange places.
I thought for a while
that I was trapped inside
one of those old books
you used to read to me.
Now, I am awake
and I see
that the world
is so much stranger
than what I remember.
When did it change?
When did the lie
replace the truth?
When did we lose
our way?
I remember yesterday.
So many good days.
I remember Sun
and sky,
I remember bright morning light
and then,
I remember a war;
planes falling out of the sky.
I remember blood.
I remember fire.
I remember closing my eyes
and wishing
that the drugs,
and the booze
and the pills
would take it all away.
Now, I am awake;
a sunflower,
turning its face
to the Sun.
Big stretch,
towards the light
and wonder,
why I survived
to be alive
in such a strange time.
Maybe you made me
with a purpose?
Maybe you saved me
for such a strange time
as this,
because I would be
perfect for it?
Maybe,
the stories
In those old books
were lessons.
HG – 2021
