Poem from a recurring dream.

I  dream of a little cage,

on the edge of a cliff,

where I pretend

to live contentedly,

rather than learn to swim across

the turbulent waters below.

Lulled by the illusion of safety,

I hang there trapped–

above murky waters,

as if sitting alone in a cage,

is  preferable to the risk of learning to swim.

In the dream I’m watching a swimmer below

She  seems to calm the water

with her powerful strokes.

I have dreamed this flooded landscape.

I have dreamed this turbulent water.

I have dreamed the murky depths.

And I have dreamed this cage.

Now  wide awake–

I am dreaming of a little red boat.