I
had a dream last night. I found an old wooden treasure chest up in the attic of
my deceased Grandmother’s house. In reality, that house was torn down some
years ago when developers started erecting tall apartment complexes in our
Brooklyn neighborhood. Yet, as dreams would have it, that house was alive and
well. The treasure chest was old, dusty and crying out for someone to open it.
The wood was rotted and smelled with decay. The musty odor danced around the
entire attic until it stopped - and THEN, it hovered over me like a blanket of
evil that held the secrets of time and grew stronger with age.
Yet
there was something special about it. Although eerie in nature, it had a
mysterious quality that I couldn’t explain; all I knew and all I felt was that
it could calm the spirit and entice the heart with its strange appeal. It was frightening, it was terrorizing, it
was unnerving, it was intriguing – but most of all, it was magical as its power
took hold of me with a compelling grip I had never felt before. I just had to
open it. This treasure chest was inviting me to do so, and I felt an
uncontrollable urge to oblige. So I lifted the top of it with all my might and
pushed it up and back, as far as it would go.
The echoes of the rusting and squeaking metal hinges rang in my ears. I
sneezed and coughed as the dust from the chest entered my nose and mouth
relentlessly. Yet, I persevered, because I knew that treasure chest held
something extremely important that I needed to see. I felt that Grandmother knew
it too. I was drawn to her attic like a magnet. Something or someone wanted me
there. I soon realized it was all good, not evil; and through wicked darkness I
found “my” light.
To
my wonderment, as I looked into the old wooden treasure chest, I could see all
the way down to the bottom. It was like looking through the transparent waters
of a limpid lake. I found no jewels, I found no silver, I found no gold. What I
found was inexplicable. The inside of the chest looked bright, bedazzling and new.
It sparkled like calm waters kissed by
rays of sunshine. I wanted to run my
fingers through it as if it were actually a tiny crystal-clear lake in a chest.
I wanted to see the ripples in its waters. So I did just that. I thought I was
hallucinating. As I continuously ran my fingers through an empty treasure
chest, ripples of words the colors of the rainbow started jumping up at me like
miniature dancing ballerinas. They were
dainty, soft, gentle and graceful. They were different sizes and different shapes.
They were different heights, different lengths, different widths and all
unique. They pranced about in unison. They turned and swayed and whispered
melodiously. The choreography of words was performed to perfection. The faint sounds
of sweet song became a treasure like no other. I was simply awestruck.
As
the dance came to an abrupt halt, I soon discovered the reason I was drawn to my
Grandmother’s attic. My eyes remained fixed upon those enchanting words, and my
ears quite attentive to their subtle harmony. At this magic moment, they spelled out a
message for me. The message read, “Open this treasure chest when you are lost.
We will dance and sing for you, and inspire you to write once more.” Then I woke up.
Little did I know, this
was the answer to my writer’s block. It was all in the treasure chest of my
dreams, locked away in the memory of Grandmother’s attic. So I sat at my
laptop, with an espresso by my side – and a lemon peel and a shot of anisette
to go along with it – and began to write my next novel. Ripples of words the
colors of the rainbow started jumping up at me like miniature dancing
ballerinas, and I typed away as my novel unfolded before my eyes with ease. I could feel the rhythm of my poetry tapping
at my heartstrings. I had a sense that this could be one beautiful masterpiece,
with a poem or two upon its wings; specially choreographed through a “dream”
and a “memory”.
Always remember that
your next “masterpiece”, be it fiction or poetry, may be hidden within your
dreams and amongst your greatest memories. All you need to do is pay attention
to the message.
