by John D. Johnson

Created on: August 01, 2009

FAREWELL, MY SWEET DREAM

A train in the distance
An oncoming sign;
All good things and bad things
Just fall in behind

Look out! Be careful!
A person draws near;
Her name is THE FUTURE-
Her purpose, unclear

So I pick up the ball
And practice my skills;
She says time is scarce now
My chances are nil

I stretch out completely
And scale flights of stairs;
I must trust in Jesus

And say all my prayers

Skip lots of rope
And lift lots of weights!
Work harder than all
In these proud fifty states!


She stands on the sideline
As time closes in
Only mere days now
Till tryouts begin

With every jump shot
Her icy stare burns;
And the longer she stands there,
The more my head turns

So I run away quickly
And find a new court;
My dream must come true:
It's my favorite sport!

I must get away:
Left or right? Front or back?
Sounds of the train
But no sight of the track

Continue defiance:
Refuse to go down;
Last call for Dreamland!
The train whistle sounds

The day of my lifetime
Is now underway;
No workout can save me
Today is the day

I must summon all forces
I have within me;
My opponent today
Is my own destiny

The drills have now started
And now is the time;
All that I've worked for
Is now on the line

A prayer and an effort
From deep in my heart:
The sweat of pure spirit:
The waterfall starts

Sprinting and stopping;
Rebound and return;
And endless reaction,
A perpetual burn

My temperature rises
To a boiling heat
From the top of my head
To the soles of my feet

My substance is tested
As I crash to the floor
But I stand undaunted:
I know what it's for

Each loose ball, I dive down;
Each rebound, I jump;
Each war for position
Lands a thunderous bump

Oxygen leaving:
That rim looks too high;
If my passion would kill me,
Then I'll play till I die

Feeling fainter and fainter,
Yet still I press on;
My time passes slowly,
But soon will be gone

My eyesight is failing,
And my senses are blunt
All my energy spent
With each athletic stunt

The whistle is blown
And all actions subside
All the sweat has been poured;
Now the tears shall be cried

Amidst my exhaustion,
The decision is made:
I will not be joining
The Dreamland Parade

The dim lights now rule me,
And the darkness grows thick;
No slam-dunks, no lay-ups
Just air balls and bricks

I look to the side
As the victors rejoice
Their sound seems far off
Like an echoing voice

Mere feet separate us
Yet I'm miles away
In a joyless old ghost town
And sentenced to stay

Shake me! Awake me!
For this cannot be!
Someone return me
To reality!

But my eyes do not trick me,
And I see this is real:
The foul stench of failure
And the truth cold as steel

The darkness

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