Dream Friends

Three nights in a row of bad dreams
all about people who matter to me,
so much
but who are on the edges
of my reality

in themselves dream characters struggling
to break the barrier between sleeping and
waking- through
costumes, downers
and self-parody.

They are them
but they are in me, too
Ones who draw out
the viscous lump that is self-hate

also a sharp and stabbing thing
it is never present in the dream-world
but rather keeps me up
very late
to have catch-22s in the kitchen.

Bad Dream People

These dream characters
they are all people who I know
and have seen in my waking life

this gives them more meaning
than an ordinary specter.

It means
that they are living archetypes to me, that
they have the power to control
my heart feels bad when I see them
because in my dreams

they are evil
and more real
than reality.

Unraveling Badness

The bad dream people
are the kings and queens of my nightmares because
I know they have power over me
because I give them power
over me
by shrinking under their glance
as they pass by.

Why do I do that? I know
if I want to be safe from someone all I must do
is assert myself. And yet
night after night I let
these people
somnolently
step on my heart.

I guess
I think they are really important
and I would rather they notice me badly
than not at all.