I have dreamt of flying
among the clouds of my pillows
thrashing in the stormy skies
of my sheets
yet awaken with eyes open
having gone nowhere
migratory birds
with just one eye open
can fly awake and asleep
at the same time
experience REM and reality
at the same time
the avian brain can dream
of flying across hemispheres
while flying across hemispheres
like I wish I could dream of reading
while reading with one eye
what does time flies mean to a bird
when the interface of awake and asleep
has no gaps
or a bird’s eye view
when inner and outer vision abut
if Proust had a bird brain
if Swann’s Way were a swan’s way
he could’ve searched for lost time
taking dictation from each
of his hemispheres
his writing electrically aligned
with his memories
we like to think of ourselves
as the stars of this planet’s intelligence
yet the image of birds with one eye open
flying magnetic paths in darkness
past full moons
beneath constellations
stalls in wonder at a consciousness
whose dreams cross from imagination
into the real
—
Martin Settle (Charlotte, NC) has taught English for 32 years, the last 17 at UNC Charlotte. Mr. Settle has published a teaching memoir, art design book, joke book, four poetry books, and a forthcoming early-years memoir.
