Between a Dream and Reality

The poet is a realist and visionary at the same time. Her language should be precise, clear, direct, concrete. She tells the truth about the world. The stakes are too high to live in fantasy alone. Yet the poet's work is visionary. She sees beyond the normal, the humdrum. She lives in the imagination. The stakes are too high to risk succumbing to what merely is.

Poetry is therefore neither the dream nor the world of nine to five. It thrives in the space between sleeping and being awake. It is the cusp of the dream, the recollected dream. The terrible unknown written down. The exploration, during daylight, of the nightmare lands.

Here are thirteen poems about nightmares.

Marisol L.
7^th Grade, Room 109

Bipolar Screams

Bump, Bump, Bump. I’m coming!
No, no, no, it’s the __________.
Thump, thump, thump—I’m here!
Huh, huh, huh (breaths)—I’m awake!
Drip, drip, drip, gulp, gulp, gulp.
Rinse, rinse, rinse—back to bed.
(Springs, springs, springs) OK. I’m
comfortable. Snore, snore, snore Zzzs, Zzzs, Zzz.
Stop, ________ stop, stop, STOP!
No don’t hurt me, please! No, oh
no, no ________ is coming. Wake, wake
wake! I’m not waking! Wake
WAKE! Body, body, body, it’s me
the brain wakes up __________
coming! Coming, coming, coming—here
__________’s here. Open eyes. Open eyes!
Eyes open. NOOOOOOOO!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Mom & dad thank you
for the sirens. __________ stopped
the voice stopped.

Sumayyah Z.
7^th Grade, Room 109

Deep Dark Language

Swish of lightning
thundering—the booming sound
the sound of lament from the trees
shaking heavenly with ancient frights—
contagious colds. With fire; comes
and goes, like a fire fearing dragon.

Echoing every untold man’s dreams
having shimmers, scary. Seeing buzzes
beyond Peace.
Chills like a frightened horse,
Can’t be able to feel the day light
but the releases of heartbeats faster
and faster and faster; then suddenly
a spark of light that is shot in the air
so fast like a firework.
Alarming dreams of peace and
Myths.

Evelyn R.
7^th Grade, Room 109

Nightmare

I feel frightened in the dark air.
My heart beating faster and faster.
I’m dying, feel hopeless with fear.
I can hear.

Looking at a death that’s calling me—
please tell me what you see
tell me what you hear—
I’m full of fear.

I feel hopeless.
I feel the darkness.
I’m screaming
And I’m awake.

Janet G.
7^th Grade, Room 109

The Well

In the dark I fell in the well
So deep and so cold it felt
I was scared when I fell
As I try to get out of my terrible well

Danzel J.

The Scare of the Nightmare

The nightmare was like asthma
hard to breath, killing me
slowly but with fear—
it’s like it’s real
can’t say anything
you can’t scream for help
knowing but then not knowing
what’s going to happen next
lament thinking that you’re about
to die you wake to the sunlight

Javeria N.
7^th Grade, Room 109

The Lonely Hours

In the lonely hours of night
So many emotions go through my head:
Afraid, alone, scared, but not quite
I look up and see that stars accompany me:
So bright, so powerful, making emotions fade away.

Sania T.
7^th Grade, Room 109

The Nightmare

I feel the cold, wet rush of wind
Flowing as I stand in the middle
Of a dark, lost space. All alone
And terrified.

I feel as if all the happiness
Has just left me. Fear and sadness
Has rounded up on me. I feel
As if I would never leave this terrifying place.

My heart beats so fast. I scream
But only hear my voice echo back as
I suddenly wake. I find out it was
only a nightmare and find myself
in the comfort of my room.

Narda O.
7^th Grade, Room 112

Death Ride

Screams of fear flying through the air.
The rusty metal from a roller coaster as it freezes
on the upside down hill.
Commotion down below as the belts come loose.
One hour later, sirens down below.
But I wake with a panic, taking breaths
in a puddle of sweat, and I’m back in line.

Marisabel G.
7^th Grade, Room 112

Death Silence

Grief and sorrow was heard
The sound of a heart bleeding to be saved
The plane was going fast
The clock of my life ticking to an end
Slowly I gave up hope
My ears went deaf trying to block the cries
Tears drained through my cheekbones
The dark water hit the ground like bullets
The sand is draining
Each grain of sand hitting the glass
One grain only is left to fall
One last shout is heard, then all is silence.

Ahmad A.
7^th Grade, Room 112

As Darkness Shines

I mumble in bed and tumble too
As darkness shines a man becomes anew
As he walks toward me a fright pierces the night—
From darkness his face come free.
And I soon realize that it’s me.

Richard T.
7^th Grade, Room 112

Nightmare

Fear strikes and disables my whole movement
A figured and grin step from the shadows.
Each step the shadow takes, I think of death.
Fear strikes with a blade and so does consciousness
I feel a disorder but can’t awake.
The figure strikes my heart but I’m not dead.
I’m stuck and cursed to endure this longer.
When will it ever end, when will it stop?
I try to break out of this dark nightmare.
With confusion I come to this conclusion:
I’m stuck in the dark, shadowy, scary dream world!

Amar A.
7^th Grade, Room 112

A Thought in the Night

I move to my right and move to my left,
The thought still at the top of my head—
floating there, just wobbling in the air
overhead. Whatever I do it just wanders
upon my head like a streaming river. I awake.
I realize the rays of light upon my
textured face due to the fact of it being morning.
Then while I regain and regather my thoughts
I realize that it was a dream. A blank
but oh so powerful thought toward life.
Something sitting, staring in your mind.

Huda K.
7^th Grade, Room 112

My Nightmare

The cricket chirps
as I wake to a clatter.
My robe slips on as I thud downstairs,
every creak of the bare wooden floor following after.
There in the kitchen appeared a woman as pale as the day was,
bustling in the kitchen with her tawny black hair and all.
She turned around, following with her the sounds of a door creaking.
There she appeared, with no face, but only a bloody, spattered skull.
My screaming could do no good, seeming that as I looked about
the world resolved within a red sky.
The hall swished around me & swirled as I swayed about,
only then falling endlessly into a pit, just dropping to my death.
A scream escaped my mouth & I jumped under the covers.
To this day, the lady in my dream still hovers
just as I drift right back off into that world of nightmares.