Dreams...Rivers Of The Night Poem by David Whalen

Dreams are rivers of the night
A place in which the mind shakes free
The conscious bands that hold us tight
And sails us out into mystery

Maiden voyages into seas so deep
Vivid montages of experience strange
Not bound by banks within to keep
Nor limits set within to range

Suspension of reason, dwells in the night
Helplessly carried upon dreams cold river
Exposed to experience, never allowed in daylight
Strange deeds, strange thoughts, make us shiver

If Dreams are rivers of the night
Then what are days, just what might they be?
Which one is false…and which is right?
And in which one would you rather be?

For who can say beyond a doubt
Which is reality and which is not
Is awake really being up and about
Or is dreaming of being awake… our lot

If Dreams are rivers of the night
Then could days be dreams of another kind?
Could the rivers of the night be the true and the right
And days a nightmare to which we’re blind

Dreams are rivers of the night
That’s what most people would say
Tell me I‘m dreaming…show me the light
It seems like a nightmare…show me the way