James Moore Poet Narrative

Notes About The Poem

The Dream

("Anagogical Moments Merit Badge", 2011, original oil)

The Dream

In a dream I talk to a young man in his prime,
A bit of a wandering missionary type
Eager to engage in spiritual dialogue,
And he asks if I’ve ever been to his
Beverly Hills sports bar called The Dream.

I reply I’ve never even been to Beverly Hills
But that it reminds me 
Of the philosophical question 
Of there being two kinds of people;
Those who say life is a dream, and
Those who say life is like a dream.

But as I ask him what he thinks of this
Basic dichotomy of spiritual insight 
I wake, and
Lay in bed in the pre-dawn dark
Wondering who he was, and the challenge he represents.

I concluded that he was Christ,
The modern day kind
Who’d own a sports bar on Rodeo Drive
In that shining City of Angels.

I liked that he’d name his place
The Dream, and that it would be a welcoming place
For both kinds of spiritual seekers.
I then wondered how many bars
Across this vast country have the same name,
And how I’d like to do a pilgrimage to them all
Meeting their patrons, sampling their fare
And seeing all the faces Christ presents
In the world today.

It would make a good book,
Maybe not The Good Book,
But an interesting one nonetheless.
And within its pages the dichotomy of the dream
Would become transparently clear;
That while the two seem different,
Even mutually exclusive points of view,
They aren’t.
And that’s the beauty of The Dream
It welcomes all.

(1/19/24)

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment