The Mix-Up Poem by Paul Hartal

One winter morning
Upon awakening from a long night sleep
All characters got mixed up with their authors
Including Pinocchio
Who could not decide what was real:
Had he dreamt of being Carlo Collodi
Or was it that Carlo Collodi was dreaming
Of being Pinocchio?

This occurred long after
Upon awakening from a long night sleep
Zhuang Zi woke up from his dream
And was at a loss to figure out
How real was real and asked:
Had he dreamt of being a butterfly
Or was it rather that a butterfly
Was dreaming of being Zhuang Zi?

The next day
As she woke up from a long night sleep
An elephant got mixed up with a crocodile
And she could not decide what was real:
Had she dreamt of being a crocodile
Or was it rather that a crocodile
Was dreaming of being an elephant?

Two years later
Upon awakening from a long night sleep
The moon became confused with the sun
And it could not decide what was real:
Had it dreamt of being the sun
Or was it that the sun was dreaming
Of being the moon?

And in a rare unguarded state of mind
Upon awakening from a long night sleep
God got embarrassed for the muddle
But she could not decide what was real:
Had she dreamt of being Man
Or was it rather that Man
Was dreaming of being God?