I dreamed

I dreamed

I ran a marathon

With boundless energy

A spring in my step

And a change of pace,

With enough time

To take a diversion

To hug my wife

Before skipping through

The tape to win

With ease.

It took a while to realise

It was a dream

But less time

To get what it might mean.

The night before

I was an old guy

With a juicy fart

And rancid breath

That would strip paint off

Hard wood

My hair came out from

A scabrous skull

In tufts.

A spray of big brown spots

Covered a carapace

Of loosely folded skin

I felt sure

Belonged to somebody else.

It took longer to see

The dream in that one

Freckles have always

Been comforting.

In an opium den

A guy smoked

A big fat stokey

Which seemed crazy

At the time

I remember thinking

How bad it would be

If it was me

Stinking like a council

Waste dump.

I have yet to see

A woman

Chew tobacco

But I am sure it’s a thing

And there is still time.

Being repellent

To loved ones

Shakes me up

Even though

I am never sure

How close I might be

To one thing or the other.

Playing at Wembley

Is unlikely to happen

Which is a sad admission

But is realistic

And lacks dissonance.

I guess that might mean

I am tailoring

My dreams to mask

A gentle decline

From youthfulness

Into a healthy

And boringly wholesome

Old age.