What Truly Is

I had a dream one starry night in spring.
I dreamt I woke upon a silver beach,
Alight with moonbeams falling from the Sky.
My chest was bare, my hair was flowing free;
My feet were shoeless, and a silky cloth
Between my waist and kneecaps lightly clung.
The sand between my toes was soft and cool,
As if the beach was made of silver light.
Beyond the beach a jungle spread its arms
As far as feeble human eyes could see.
I gazed upon the em'rald jungle vast,
When from behind a light and graceful breeze
Enveloped me, enticing me to turn
Around and see the Ocean's loveliness.
Behold! my hair was lifted in the breeze
As I beheld the beauty of the Sea.
The waves were low; the Ocean lightly breathed,
As Moonlight shone upon the water smooth.
The Sun was gone, but still the Sky was blue
With silver radiance that fell with grace
From up above. The monstrous Moon had grown
To thrice its size and filled the western Sky.
The lunar light a ring of iv'ry carved
Around the wispy clouds of ebony.
I fell upon my knees before the Moon
And dropped my eyes upon the silky shore,
When from the Sea a noble voice arose
Alike to strongly crashing summer waves.
My brow I kept in humble posture while
I listened to the speaker's godly voice.
"Rise up and wade into the shallows, man!"
It softly, regally commanded me.
I stood, and with my fearful eyes still low,
I stepped into the little, lapping waves
Which met the beach before my leaden feet.
The water in the shallows rose and fell
With gentle breaths around my naked calves.
Its touch was cool; it fed my confidence
Until I raised my timid eyes to see
The man or beast who'd summoned me from sleep.
I found that suddenly the Sky was black,
Though shone the Moon as brightly as before.
The stars were white and dim, the clouds were dark.
A new and brighter face my vision held,
A porpoise mammoth and magnificent,
Who radiated silver light. His eyes
Were blacker than the blackest winter night,
His skin was white as snow. He spoke again
But didn't move his lips, "My fin you must
With courage clutch, for we will go
Beneath the waves, where wonders wait for us."
He turned his back to me and faced the Moon,
Inviting me to follow his command.
With trembling hand I climbed upon his back
And grasped his giant fin. Without delay
We sank into the Sea of darkest night.
The light from up above was quickly gone,
And yet a brighter lamp beneath me glowed.
Around us blackness pressed from ev'ry side.
My guide again with voice angelic spoke,
"In order that the life of night you see,
My radiance I soon shall dim. Be not
Alarmed, be not afraid. A score of beasts
Grotesque and strange will come to us with haste,
But none of them can touch you, man of earth.
They are the winter of the Sea, the cold
And heartless monsters of the icy deep.
But that the glory of the ancient Sea
May shine more brightly for your human eyes,
It's necessary first to see the snow
Before you see the color of the spring."
"The monsters of the deep?" I asked in fear.
"But we have not descended far beneath
The surface of the Sea. Indeed, we met
Not twenty minutes hence upon the shore!"
My heart began to falter, for the light
Began to fade, and ghostly forms arose,
Though 'till the dark was whole they'd stay in shape
The phantoms of some nameless fear. My guide
Replied; his voice began to fade as well.
"They are indeed the monsters of the deep.
And though I could have brought you far below,
Perhaps unto the Ocean floor by now,
You speak the truth. For if the Sun was high,
His piercing gaze would penetrate below
Us. My unpleasant errand is to show
The bright and Sunny regions of the Sea,
Invaded by the demons from below.
The wights you see before you find their home
In icy pockets of the deeper Sea,
Too low to feel the glow of Sunlight warm,
Too high to feel the conflagration 'neath
The ever-forming, blazing Ocean floor."
By now his voice was almost lost to me,
His body dimmer with each passing breath.
And as his light grew dim, the ghostly shapes
Would manifest their frigid loneliness
By donning ugly forms all carved from ice.
Yet each was limber, writhing like a worm
Upon a hook and snapping ugly jaws
And wringing ugly claws and fencing with
Its curved and twisted horns. And some had beaks
Like vultures', hooked and sharp and craving flesh.
And as the Dolphin's voice grew less distinct,
A snarling rose from deep within the horde.
The quarreled for the pleasure of the fight,
And in their selfishness, their voices rose
As one, united in their severance.
By now my guide was blacker than the night;
His voice was silent as the grave. But still
I felt his flipper warm beneath my palm.
And if I hadn't felt the Dolphin's fin,
I think the shrieks infernal would have been
Too much to bear. I would have lost my mind
Inside the madness of the ghastly night.
For agony, as well as selfishness,
The ghostly horde did torment. I could hear
The screams of those who had no hope of life,
No hope to share the warmth of creatures of
The day. I saw one with an ugly face,
Alike to that of some malicious pig.
In pain it scratched its face with razor claws.
Because its costume body was but carved
From frozen ice, its efforts merely shaved
Its face into the frozen Sea. But ice
Regrew to form new skin, more hideous.
I was relieved to find the monsters took
No notice of me. They just fought and wept
And shrieked as if I wasn't there. And when
My racing heart was calm, a light began
To glow. In horror all the monsters fled
To regions dark and cold. I looked below
Me, and my guide was shining once again.
But his was not the light which had the beasts
Repulsed. The dawn had come, and Sunlight filled
The water all around me as I watched
With growing joy. I'd always loved to watch
The Sun come up from underneath some hill
Or climb above the mountains high or soar
Above the plain. But this was so much more
Magnificent and full of vibrant life.
The Sea was set aflame with light, with red
And green and blue and streaks of indigo.
The colors danced around me with the joy
Of children of the Sun. I looked around
And saw from ev'ry corner living things
Come forth. I saw a group of porpoises
Who laughed and frolicked playfully. I saw
A whale and her calf above my head.
A school of silver fishes twisted 'round
In many diff'rent shapes. Among them dove
The Seabirds, looking for their morning fare.
Some sleek and shiny barracuda found
The silver fish and joined their happy dance.
And from them all a joyful song arose.
I heard a thousand diff'rent voices ring,
But all of them as one brought forth their song
Of praise. They praised the golden Sunlight and
The Moonlight of the night. They praised the morn
Which set the Ocean world aflame with light.
I wept for joy and asked my guide why he
Had chosen me to see this wond'rous morn.
He smiled and replied, "You all have seen
The thing which spreads before you, man of earth.
Your minds are always flying in the past
Or in the future. You are not concerned
With what is here before you. And when
A thing is strange, you notice it and say
That it is beautiful. But when a thing
Is small and lifts its voice in harmony
With all the other pretty things, you call
It plain and leave it for your superstores
And jumbo jets and manufactured noise
Machines. You see and hear a normal morn,
But I have opened up your eyes and ears
To see and hear what truly is." And then
The music faded out, and all the fish
In unison beside me water tread.
For there before me, over water came
A light as bright as three whole Suns. I winced
And blocked my eyes but couldn't stop myself
From watching this display. I dropped my hand,
And golden Sunlight filled my human head
As something broke the surface of the Sea.
The light receded; there before me was
A Dragon, long and sleek. His silky fur
Was short and emanated golden light.
His tail sprouted ruby feathers, and
His legs were clothed with many ruby scales.
His head was regal and phlegmatic, in
A kingly, wolfish form. A whisker from
Beneath each nostril flowed with elegance
The length of half his body. Swiftly swam
My dolphin guide before the Dragon. I
Was terrified, yet beauty filled this sweet
Encounter. Silver light and golden light
Around us mingled softly. "Now you may
Release my fin," the porpoise ordered me.
I followed his instructions once again.
"Do you this vision understand, oh man?"
The Dragon asked. His voice was low and rich.
"I think I do," I answered simply. "The
Porpoise told me why it seems so grand."
"I wish you to record your dream so all
Your brothers may my kingdom reverence,"
The Dragon stated softly. "Come, and I
Will show you wonders you have ever seen."
I climbed aboard his golden back, and we
Ascended from the Sea. We flew into
The morning Sky and saw the blazing Sun.
He shone with great intensity, yet I
Could look into his heart with ease. Because
The day was still so young, the air was full
Of colors bright. It seemed the Sunrise had
Come down and filled the earth with living flame.
The atmosphere was rose and orange, red
And yellow too. And far below me shone
The Sea, a brighter blue than e'er I'd seen.
I felt the wind upon my face as through
The living air we flew. The Seasalt on
The breeze was sharp and filled me with the love
Of Sea. The Dragon took me over land
And showed me forests bright and green. He showed
Me golden prairies, too, and Arctic wastes
And veldts of gold and swamps of em'rald hue.
He showed me bears and snakes and elephants.
He showed me rats and ostriches and deer.
And all of them a morning hymn did sing,
With voices raised in harmony. And in
The end, he brought me back. He set me on
The shore. With love and with humility
I bowed before the Dragon. "Don't forget
To write it down so all may see the life
Which fills the earth," he said with gravity.
I bowed again, and when I rose, the Drake
Was gone. No longer was there silky sand
Between my toes. No longer spread the Sea
Before my human eyes. No longer stood
A jungle vast and emerald behind
My naked back. I found that I was at
My desk, a pen within my trembling clutch.