Dream

Oh lord. I am in paaaaain. My body feels stiffer than

Woke up dreaming that i'd gotten caught in a crossfire. I clean round bloody hole was left in my palm after being shot. I cried when i discovered that i had bloody nubs in lieu of two fingers. I was devestated that i wouldn't be able to dance. People around tried to comfort me and pretend it wasn't so, but i knew they were just trying to be nice. The children dancers gathered around me and gave me celebratiory "Glow" and honored me with gifts and smiles. I knew they were just being nice. I knew i was finished.

My cousins moved into the "bad neighborhood" that i'd lived in before. They seemed to bring a whole new energy of lightness and joy and so i didn't warn them. I didn't want to rain on their parade with talk of rat feces, drugs and indiscriminate violence. They ran and played in the courtyard- tag games and ball. Then someone screamed and i turned to see the body of an honored patriarch lying still. I scooped up his limp torso and tore across a field to a drinking fountain where i thought i could revive him. I yelled out, "HOLD HIS HEAD! HOLD HIS HEAD" but they did not listen and it turned and his skull fell off. I could feel it slide out from between my fingers but there was nothing i could do. I held his frightful decapitated torso in my shaking hands.