lucid dreams

in ephemeral night

luminous visions

fading in twilight

it’s all a stage

with balletic grace

fake danseur nobles

adorning masks on face

pull back the curtain

rouse from sleep

you’ll soon divine

the dance runs deep

lucid dreams

in the glimmering

night

the world’s a stage

pirouetting

in daylight.

1. Too little of me and you shall never prevail.

Too much of me and you'll surely fail.

What am I?

2. If you have me, you'll want to share me. If you share me, you'll lose me.

What am I?

3. You can only get it once you give it.

4. If you break me I do not stop working. If you touch me I may be snared. If you lose me nothing will matter.

5. A prison you feel safe in, yet it grows bigger as you try to leave it.

Call me cold and I will freeze.

Call me hot and you will feel my heat.

Call me strong and you will see my power.

Call me weak and I will grow a flower.

Don’t tempt me and don’t play with fire,

It has nothing I desire.

For I am all you need,

So hush my darling and drink the seed.

I am a goat

In a lions skin

Tell me

How many times do I have to keep pretending?

To be

Anything but

Cattle

I sit in bed, tears streaming down my face as I read the messages over and over, that you, I’ll call you Aiden, sent me.

″ I just kept thinking about it and wanted to make sure you were okay. It’s nice to talk to you now, I missed you.”

Then I scrolled down.

″ Do you know if the teacher has a meeting at three? If you’re going, I’ll try to come so I can see you.”

One more scroll. I told you ” try to sleep. I’ll think about you.” I sent it, then punched myself for sending that, then;

″ Thanks, I’m thinking about you too. Have a good night.”

I was in shock.

Quarantine was causing us to not see anyone from our class except the occasional meeting with our teacher where we could just talk. It was by chance. We had joined the same meeting.

We talked by setting the chat privately between us. We talked and at some point you made me laugh so hard I had to turn off my camera for a moment. Now, we sent each other’s number, and boom. We had full access to chat, best friends.

Then you sent me that, and I’m tearing myself apart. I don’t know what to say, yet my heart aches for you.

Do I ask? Or do I wait?

I didn’t sleep just for thinking about it. Then I realized I have to decide.

Aiden, or Arden?

Some call me “enigma”

Some make me rhyme

Some weave my words just pass time

But I’ll tell you a secret.

I am not so peculiar.

You know me so well.

You might call me familiar.

A question.

An answer.

As you see up above.

You twist and you turn me.

You tease out my lines.

Only the clever may know me.

Only the keenest of minds.

A tangle of words.

A solution Embedded.

The answer in the question.

Perhaps you see where I’m headed.