I Dream in Black and White

I could see the towering white barked tree tops moving in a whispering breeze above me… I was sitting in the grass with its thin blades that found their way between my toes.  The white washed fence posts looked new and clean…. They held on to shiny wire that was tied in sections that looked like the rows in my grandfather’s garden. The weeping willow danced in the wind… it moved like a waterfall in the mountains. My eyes were attracted to a single red rose that called to the break in the clouds… it stood tall and full... it was my Grandmother’s pride and joy. I could hear the voices of my mother and family as a spotted spaniel stood close-watch over any movement of my hands…

I could see my cat… she found the dappled shade beside the flower bed in my back yard… I could feel the comfort of my home. I felt the energy of youth within me. The deep shadow of the covered porch held the soft country music of years gone by. My eyes were attracted to a shiny red bicycle…. it stood tall and proud before me. I wanted to go… I wanted to be free and to roam in my world. It looked fast and it called to me to ride. The sun threw sparks of lightning off of the chrome fenders and the smooth handle bars… I could hear the sounds of my family in the kitchen… they were the sounds of activity and the sounds of laughter.

I saw flashes of light that reminded me of an old projector movie reel winding and clicking before my eyes. My dream must have been from the photographs I have looked at through the years. I remember pointed party hats with thin elastic strings stapled to the sides. There were familiar faces that held the smiles inside of laughter. I saw flashes of presents and candles… cakes that stood tall swirled with homemade icing and sheet cakes as big as a platter filled with miniature figurines and puffs of piped icing trim. I remember clutching my hands together to make the perfect wish and smiling for flashing cameras before blowing out the little waxed candles that stood like soldiers at attention. My eyes were attracted to a small red blindfold that held the secrets to a game of pin the tail on the donkey… I saw birthday parties that led me toward my todays… the todays that remind me of the yesterdays in my dreams…

                                                                 Shannon R Killman