I, The Dreamer

"I have a dream..."

Me, too. I, too, have a dream. I have many dreams. And my dreams, they've been to the brink of death... many times. I've been at their bedsides as they lay in critical condition. But I've learned that, as long as I live, my dreams can never die. I've made up in my mind that I will fight for my dreams, no matter what they cost me.

Still...

When Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech all those years ago, there was one word he said that was so significant. In the grand scheme this word is a dot; at this moment, from where I stand, it's much more than that. It was the very first word of his speech: "I".

"I" simply means this: the dream of Dr. King was a dream held by one person. See, as I exchanged ideas with my peeps today, I realized something terrible. I realized that my dream... was my dream. And maybe, just maybe, it's my dream only. I've spent so much of my life trying to answer the cries of the oppressed, confused, mis-educated masses, but in recent years, it seems that the cries have quieted. In place of the cries, coos of complacency; and the people, they seem to have simply grown accustomed to their situations.

I have a dream... but I can't force the dream on anyone who doesn't wish to dream with me. Every day I set foot on campus, I can feel it; nobody gives a damn about much of anything. As long as they get their needs--- mostly their unneeded wants--- met. I'm in this world and absorbed in everything and everyone around me; they're in this world, but they're closed up in their own worlds at the same time.

What if truth... What if understanding... What if elevation... What if these are things meant to be enjoyed only by those who own them? Am I overstepping my boundaries in attempting to rob the ignorant of their bliss? If they don't ask, then who am I to answer?...

I have a dream. No: I have a reality. And everyone around me lies fast asleep. One day, everyone is going to awaken; I fear many have already awakened but, in their dazes, have chosen to hit the snooze button and hold on to their bliss. And I can't dictate the course of another person's life. All I can do is live in the reality I know; the reality that, eventually, will force people to recognize that they are truly asleep.

Dream On... B-J