© Gabriella Tutino
I had a dream once.
You appeared to me,
With welts on your wrists,
The grime on your face replaced by a smile.
You said you were free:
That you could feel again, and touch again
And know what it was like to be.
We ran through the woods,
Fingertips pressed to one another.
Faster than the wind,
Our souls barely making imprints on the soft dirt.
We dove into the black lake,
Engulfed, caressed by its tranquil touch.
Lost in all the water had to offer,
We drifted far from ourselves.
That one beam of light you held on to,
That one source in the darkness,
Expanded until you felt its heat on your skin.
You said you were free:
That you could feel again, and touch again
And know what it was like to be.
You disappeared from me,
A whisper on my heart.
I heard the echo of the chains falling from your arms.
I had a dream once.
