dreams

I'm afraid to dream
to breathe the essence of what I yearn for
as if by forming the syllables with my lips
the alchemy of life will change them
and I'll be left with the whispers that haunt me at night

I'm afraid to wish
to want something so badly that it consumes me
intoxicates me with passion and ardor
leaving me spent

I'm afraid to turn that page
to see the script of the future
the calligraphy of my soul
tattooed in my heart

I'm afraid to close my eyes at night
that perhaps I will not wake
and with that, the knowledge that I have not lived.

- lml march 2009