In my night dreams,
I made love
With a nameless, faceless man.
In my day dreams,
This same nameless, faceless man
Caressed my naked body.
Now, you say, �I love you.�
Then you touch me and ask, �Is this real?�
You have a face,
A beautiful face
That I love to stroke
From the silver on your forehead
Through your prickly sideburns
To the short fringe of gray on your chin.
You tell me not to touch your mustache
Or the tip of your nose
Because that will make you sneeze.
My dream lover never said,
�Be careful. You�ll make me sneeze.�
This must be real.
You have soft skin
That invites my hand
To slide over every inch of it.
You woke me up at midnight
To ask me to rub lotion on your back
Because your dry skin was itching.
My dream lover never said,
�My back itches. I need lotion.�
This must be real.
You love to wrap your arms and legs around me
Until we are so close
We can feel each other�s heart beat
And hear each other softly breathing.
Your pneumonia made your heart beat faster
And your lungs crackle like Rice Crispies
When you breathed.
You had to untwine and sit up
Because your coughing clogged your throat.
My dream lover never said,
�I need to spit. I need a cough drop.�
This must be real.
You have a face.
You have a name.
Your arms and chest are warm when you hold me close to you.
I see you as well when my eyes are open
As I do when they are shut.
I live.
I breathe.
I love you.
We are real.
Our love is better than a dream.
And bigger than we could dream it.
Mary [Ekholm] Francis
(c) 1999