This morning I had a dream
I was flying
But it wasn’t right
It wasn’t freedom and independence
It was different



I stood at the edge of a deep, teal lake at rest
I watched the fish swim lazily from one side of the lake to the other
Their bleak satisfaction with their tiny lives was unfathomable to me
Up above, the eternal sky smiled at me
It was undeniable
I flailed both my arms around like a prisoner trying to escape from his captors
Gradually, I rose from the land
I was hovering at about 10 feet off when I finally picked up speed
Faster and faster
I flew past a flagpole
Then a tree, a kite, a house, an office building
I looked down at the fishes that were now so far below me and laughed scornfully
Before I knew it, I was soaring with the birds
They looked at me as though I were an intruder
But I didn’t care
The higher I flew, the higher I wanted to go
Yet, I looked below my feet and saw joyful families picnicking in the park and blissful old men taking their sailboats out to enjoy the pleasant weather, then, a sharp thought struck me
I was getting further and further away
I was picking up a powerful amount of speed
I couldn’t even see the families in the park anymore
And the old men in the boats were now tiny specks in the vast blue sea
Oh, if only I could go back now! But it was futile
I was in space now, and let me tell you, space is a gloomy and desolate place
In the pitch-black expanse, you are alone and abandoned
All there is to provide light are tiny stars that shine with a glimmer of hope
I was abandoned and alone
I painfully realized I had stopped flying
Now, all I could do was float motionlessly
In the deep dark sky
One by one, the stars went out.