There is a river in my dreams and in my dreams,
it is more than a river—
it is a place where I can go to put my problems,
where I can put my pain, where I can put my fears.
In my dreams, it is a place where my dead relatives are gathered,
where my dead friends are playing, where my dead pets are waiting—
waiting for me to join them, their lives over while mine goes on and on.
I see their faces and I remember their names and I know that they are not waiting for me,
but they are waiting for me to come to them, to come to the river.
The river is where I can see my mother in a bottle of water, my
grandmother in a bottle of nail polish, my aunt in a bottle of perfume, my
grandfather in a bottle of beer, my sister in a bottle of soda, my best friend in a
bottle of juice.
I can see their smiles and I can hear their voices, calling
for me to join them and finally be at peace.
And when I wake, I know that
the river is just a river and that the people are just people
and that the dreams are just dreams,
but one day I will sleep again, and I will dream of the
river and I will dream of the people and I will dream of
the dreams, and when I wake, I will know that they are
just dreams and I am just a man, but I will still hear their
calls, insisting that I join them, and they will be there,
waiting for me to come to the river.
I am always dozing off, but I will not wake to the river.
I am always waking to a world that is broken and a country that is falling
apart.
Claudia Wysocky, a Polish writer and poet based in New York, is known for her diverse literary creations, including fiction and poetry. Her poems, such as "Stargazing Love" and "Heaven and Hell," reflect her ability to capture the beauty of life through rich descriptions. Besides poetry, she authored "All Up in Smoke," published by "Anxiety Press." With over five years of writing experience, Claudia's work has been featured in local newspapers, magazines, and even literary journals like WordCityLit and Lothlorien Poetry Journal. Her writing is powered by her belief in art's potential to inspire positive change. Claudia also shares her personal journey and love for writing on her own blog, and she expresses her literary talent as an immigrant raised in post-communism Poland.
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