Don Campbell

I Dream 

I'm peeking out at the sliver of light
Visible because the crimson blanket
Draped over the standard rectangle
On the side of our backroom bedroom
Tries to cover a narrow concrete alleyway
Where the sound of a passing animal
Skittering across the makeshift fence
Of stacked green plastic panels which lie
Onto chain link usually standing firm to
The minuscule weight of a squirrel or cat
But on this still overcast Friday morning
I see in the long finger of brightness
A horrific sight a cylindrical object
Rumbles by in the low hazy gray sky
As if being towed by armored tank
I hear a shattering explosion not far
Away how can this be I am in America
I shrink back pulling my blanket closer
And listen for another heavy blast on
What should be an air of Pacific cool
I believe I'm in a war zone unsettled
The click of the clock radio wakes me
To caffeine fueled banter of two hosts
I am relieved it was only a chimera yet
Disturbed that somewhere in the world
This is someone's reality every day

Copyright 2024 by Don Kingfisher Campbell

Don Kingfisher Campbell, MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, taught Writers Seminar at Occidental College Upward Bound for 36 years, currently a Board Member of California Poets In The Schools, publisher of Four Feathers Press, and host of the Saturday Afternoon Poetry reading series in Pasadena, California. For awards, features, and publication credits, please go to: http://dkc1031.blogspot.com

30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review