Baby Dream

A blue and white rabbit dances
with a furry pink elephant
on undulating grass.
The moon is all smiles.
A polka-dot dog speaks softly
in a language I almost understand.

Where did the crocodile come from?
It stands up, swallows the moon
like a huge sugar cookie,
and the world goes black.

I’m alone again, yearning
for a familiar voice
whose absence fills every corner
of my prison, the cold cell
suspended in space,
with bars on either side.

Frightened, small, I listen
for the voice. It seems
to come from inside me
as my lover’s heart draws near,
drumming against my chest,
as strong arms wrap
around me once more in the large
darkness, where I do not rest.

–Lucille Lang Day