The Dreamer
by Michelle Wallace
Response piece

The sun sets
Submerging into icy blue
Ripples swallow orange and red and pink
Wind swirls the trees
A white orb peeks through clouds
Shadows creep along the ground
And quietly, she sleeps
In an embryonic embrace
Cocooned by blankets, she dreams
Of far-away lands and times
Cities with star-bright lights
Voices like rushing water
Green hilltops and snowy mountain peaks
And he is there, always
Smiling, hand outstretched
He pulls her up, up
Through the trees and hills and sky
Straight into velvety black space
But warm somehow, she is warm
Surrounded by planets and galaxies
Intimately held
Peacefully she sleeps

Response piece

“Together”

Love is a swirling mass of colors,
Bliss sweeping us into the clouds
The world disappears as I look in your eyes
We forge ahead, day by day
Partnering together in life’s routine
Excitement fades, replaced by something deeper
A less flattering, more solid love
The storms come, nearly knocking us over
But we cling together, side by side
We watch as others separate,
The vivid colors of love fade to gray
Now dissolved halves wandering alone
But we cling harder to each other,
Grateful to be lost together in the storm
As the winds die down, I realize we are scarred
But our wounds have bound us as one,
Healing fuses our bones together
The colors swirl around us again
Renewed love sweeps us away once more

Dana Gray

Inspiration piece

“Dani Loves Dan”