Dream

I had a dream about you last night

It felt like a distant memory came to visit

We were in the mall we used to go to when we were young

But, it wasn't the same.

There was a distant comfort though

Walking down the cracked, tiled halls

Past the boarded-up storefronts,

We took turns trying to remember what used to be there

But our minds drew blanks

While we stared at the ghosts of fluorescent signs

We gave up

Victims of our attention spans

So, instead, we created imaginarily boutiques to take their place

Filled with our desires

Amongst the desolation, a few stores clung to life

Breathing, ever so shallow

In any other circumstance, we wouldn't go in them

We knew there was nothing there for us

There never was

But, the warm light from their windows was irresistible

So we entered anyway, led by false hope and curiosity

Our eyes ran through the isles, like unattended children

But we crossed the finish line of our ocular marathon empty-handed

Something did capture your gaze as we walked back toward the tundra

It was a keychain, a miniature eight-ball

A consolation prize for your efforts

Nestled amongst it's kind at the cash register

You whispered questions to it and shook it

As the pyramid settled against the clear plastic,

You realized all of the answers were blank

Your disappointed breath rattled the other keychains like autumn leaves

As you placed the eight-ball back in its herd

So through the glass gateway, we walked

Within fingers-length of each other

Breathing in opposition

As we were finally about to leave

We spotted a photo booth

It was hidden amongst the tables of the food court

Tables made from adolescent scrawlings and chewed bubble gum

We went in and took our seat

And you rested your head on my shoulder

You looked up at me with eyes grasping on to fleeting hope

And a smile that said "it'll be fine"

Our gazes wrested with each other

Until they were broken by the first assault of light from the camera

With each flash, we grew a year older

And I found it harder and harder to smile

From the looks of it, you did as well

And on the fourth flash, I woke up

With a surprising lack of nostalgia

But for a moment, I remembered you

I wrote this dream in my journal and put it in my nightstand

Next to my dusty and decaying bible

In hopes that someday, it too, would look the same