Dream Triage

A theme suggested by a reader on DeviantArt.com. I largely composed the piece while push-mowing the lawn.

 

Dream Triage
Mark Pearce (c) 2007

 

 

Flashpoint!
All hell breaks loose.

The time has come to choose
Between those that might live
And those that will expire.

And we don’t have much time.
Every extra moment,
Each additional breath,
Could be the difference.

Some have a chance.
Save them.
Some survive only
Through a last, futile hope.
Pay them homage
But cut them loose.
Cut them loose now!

Is there a pulse?
A spirit within?
Is there an opportunity
For a complete and normal life?

There is a time to get real.
This is that time.

Get mean.
Get hard.
Make the tough decisions
Between life and death.

It’s gotta be done.
It’s gotta be done.
It’s gotta be done.

Damn it.

 

Author's Note

Tread kindly on my crepe-thin soul.

Reviews

[logmein]

I really like this. I'm glad Emily forwarded it to me. I think you just lit a fire where one needed to be. Thanks.

[Just Manoosh]

Such a strong piece honey, by the time I got to the end my bloody was pumping furiously! Very well done. Mx

[W.k.kortas]

Our dreams, as the title suggests, do not generally come to fruition, and when they do, they rarely do so unadulterated, a theme this piece illustrates quite nicely. Their realization/transformation does not come in a smooth, geometric-proof like manner, but hesitantly with starts and stops, which is underscored by the pacing in this piece. A solid piece of writing.

[R J Askew]

I love the image of you going up and down the lawn pondering this poem! It's got great energy and urgency about it. Though I normally think of lawn mowing as a calm and methodical task. I will think again in future. Looking at it again it could also be read as a moment of personal crisis, as if you are going through the motions of normality -- and what could be more normal than mowing a lawn? -- while on the inside you are a boiling cauldron of strong images or emotional issues. On the other hand it could just be a strong imagination at play while mowing the lawn. Either way it was a good read.

[Emily B]

Damn it! This is a great metaphor. A new favorite, something I'll plan to re-visit from time to time.