Are you dreaming? (poem)

I am on a poetry posting spree. I wrote this poem when I was in Presec in 2000. As a matter of fact, I performed it during the Mr. Presec competition in which I was 3rd. The poetry recital was excellent but I terribly flunked the traditional highlife dancing segment, which I believe cost me the grand prize. I believe, I am adept at dancing to highlife music now, if you don't believe me, catch me at your next Ghanaian party. Up till now, I haven't received my Woodin shirt(s) prizes for grabbing bronze. They must have lied to me. But I still have the poem that confirmed to me that I had a career in spoken word and poetry performance. I still remember some of my Presec mates teasing me with "Ato, are you dreaming, are you dreaming" after the contest. Well, the poem, here it goes.


Building castles in the air
Cement your imaginations
Build your rocky emotions
Yet, don't throw your hands in the air
Out of tranquility, an outburst
To build a city in days the worst
Make known your ambitions and hear
"Friend, are you dreaming?"

Daydream on what never was
Weave on the fibre yet to come
In the realms of the mind
When you have closed your eyes
Remembering last night
When he committed adultery
With eyes shut, "I love you"
Wife demanding, "Are you dreaming?"

Into battle with a cut-throat
In the heat of the Sahara, deserted
Browse the area for an oasis
Screen: Access denied
Today's dream seeks a scream
With eyes shut, he's about to cut
Don't heed, open your eyes
"Are you dreaming?"

Missed your balance, afraid of heights
Destruction gives you a wicked scare
Will you just stand there and stare?
Or sit cross-legged and not care
This is what I said to him
It was too late to survive it
His fears were erased, when I said
"Are you dreaming?"

Waiting and waiting and waiting
You wish you could be visited somehow
But you have waited too long
Need to give off that slumber
A saviour from nowhere is coming
A redeemer from somewhere follows "You are not serious",
He concluded "Are you dreaming?"

An old witch is encountered
Tells him, he will die tomorrow
Over a barrier of imagination
From a nobody to a somebody
Even if contrary, hear him say
"Are you dreaming?"

The word 'dream' can be defined in chao (plenty) ways. I think I just covered some in the poem. We should dream, dream on for better things. We are capable of achieving them so wake up from the dream of pessimism and negativity. Martin Luther King is partly famous because he said "I have a dream". The subject of the American Dream comes up every now and then.
A couple of quotes about dreams -
"Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny." - Anon
"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers." - Woodrow T. Wilson

This blog entry is inspired by Soweto Gospel Choir's African Dream song (originally written by Vicky Sampson). You can listen to the song and sing along at this Museke.com link