From Nobody to Somebody
By Jemma Leech
“I am nobody.
I hide in myself,
Velvet-lined
Against the cold stares
Of the world.
I am nobody.
I keep away from the hatred,
Stone-clad
Against those who mock
And deride.
I am nobody.
I remain in darkness,
Wool-insulated
Against the pain
Of their contempt.
But when I am asleep
I am somebody.
Stripped naked
Of all the trappings of myself.
An empress of lands of plenty,
With sackfuls of love, respect
And self-worth.
So please,
Let me sleep.”
Dreams and I have never had much of a relationship. I’ve never thought much of my dreams. I’ve never analyzed them. I’ve never been interested enough.
But then, I ran across this gem of a poem. As a person confined to a wheelchair, it speaks volumes to me, reflecting my outer awkwardness and my inner desire for acceptance.
After I read this poem, it immediately occurred to me that, in all of the dreams I’ve ever had, I’ve never been confined to a wheelchair.
Never.
Not. Even. Once.
“Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams. In many of the ancient societies, such as Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be unraveled by those with certain powers.”
At least, that’s according to Wikipedia.
As long as people have been dreaming, those same people have been wondering what, in all of God’s creation, those dreams mean. Dreams are so fascinating to people even actual scientists try to analyze them. FYI: The scientific study of dreams is called oneirology.
There’s no agreed upon biological definition of dreaming. Nobody knows why we dream. Nobody can explain the process. Nobody truly understands them. They just happen. But over time, certain patterns and archetypes became clear, and standard meanings were ascribed to those particular dreams.
Except for walking.
Nobody can tell me the hidden meaning behind my ambulatory-ness in my dreams, beyond the obvious.
It must mean I can achieve anything.
It must mean I’m observing the world from a different perspective.
It must mean it just is what it is. Walking.
I don’t know. And I might never.
Interestingly enough, my doctors can’t pinpoint the type of Muscular Dystrophy I have.
Maybe the world where I’m confined to a wheelchair is just a dream. Maybe the world where I walk isn’t a dream. Maybe my life’s one, big sleepy mystery.
Either way, swinging from a tree chimpanzee-style is exhilarating. I don’t know if it’s reality or fantasy. I just know I love it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autumn Tompkins is the head sass-master at ink well copy. She is a skilled copywriter who creates dynamic copy that captures her clients’ expert voices and generates genuine sales, turning maybe’s into most definitely’s.
I love pondering the possibilities our waking state is actually the dream. I know how excited I get when recognizing I’m about to fly. But not so much when I’m being chased. If I’m much more capable in a dream, what is holding me back when awake – a very good question indeed.
Thanks for the poke.
You’re welcome! I often ask myself why I stay in my comfort zone instead of pushing past the fear. Why stumble when we can soar?
I enjoyed your post. Now I’m thinking more about the “other me” who shows up in my dreams. Also thank you for introducing me to the talented Jemma Leech. I was a big fan of Mattie Stepanek and Jemma seems to be on her way to influencing people like he did.
You’re welcome! Mattie was such an inspiration, and Jemma is quite wonderful.