The Boy Who Travelled Away

1975, my grandmother
had finally died,
Her frail body wrought with disease
Death was an honest release

Went to bed
like any ordinary night
said my prayers,
turned out the light

Woke in the darkness
dancing before my eyes
were little orbs of  faint light
frenzied, like illuminated dust

Body felt electrically charged
Looked down at myself
Beneath the ceiling
staring up at myself,
Am I still dreaming?

Wasn't afraid of this strange condition,
The room dissolved away
As I rose higher and higher,
Faster,my child's body flew
Above the rooftops and clouds,
Still gaining altitude

Not sure how I arrived,
but in front of me
was a huge window
My grandmother was on the other side,
Happy to see me,
as if viewing this miracle
through a colossal, picture glass window

She was talking to me,
but I couldn't make out the words
I pounded on the glass, frantically crying
She smiled at me,
which was all very strange
since my memories of her
were clouded by a disfigurement,
a serious stroke damaged her face

Started to descend slowly,
I remember crying, "don't go!"
But down to my room I travelled
back to my stationary body...
The sensation felt like,
 being on a roller-coaster
The pit of my stomach
was inside my mouth...

I closed my eyes, crying  distraughtly,
knowing no one would ever believe me,
Just a kid, awoken from sleep
with a burning fever of 103 degrees...

My parents put me in a tub of ice water
trying to cool my feverish body down,
Remembering that frigid wash cloth
that was coated with chipped ice,
My head wrapped all the way around...

Eventually the temperature dropped,
My body returned to normal,
And to this day
I can not fully explain,
about the night I most definitely
did travel away...

Mathiasthom
written 2/24/08