Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Museum

This poem originated from an actual dream I had when I was 6 or 7 yrs. of age. Memories of the dream have lasted into my adulthood and through reading about such events occurring with others, I also learned that these "premonition" types of dreams are rather common in children and makes one wonder why they are so in tune and why we lose that ability as we age. Whatever the reason or cause or factual basis, this poem stems from that and I hope you enjoy it.



Friday night
I had a dream
Of an old building;
Funny looking bike;
Skeleton in armor;
And a Civil War room,
Closed to visitors,
On the third floor.

Inside the room,
Nestled
Among plastic trees,
Miniature towns
Of various types
Were scattered
On plywood tables.

Some had stores,
Saloons and a church;
Others a few buildings,
Including general store
And livery stable.

Adjacent
Cannon-scarred battlefields,
Equal in variety,
Displayed Union and Confederate
Cast-iron soldiers
Relaxed around tent campsites;
Poised in lines for battle;
Or broken
And strewn about
On green felt grass,
Vividly depicting
The stark tragedy
Of war.

Saturday morning,
My older brother, John,
Took me
To the Historical Museum.

Never having been before,
I was stunned
When my eyes
Settled
On the bike
With huge front wheel,
Tiny one in back
And ladder-high seat.

In the next room,
A bony conquistador,
Complete with helmet
And breastplate,
Verified my dream
And I told
Of the Civil War room
On the third floor
And evoked a glare
From John,
The same look
He gave in my dream
As though
I’d lost my mind.

A curator,
Like in the dream,
Led the way upstairs,
And just as visioned,
He ignored
The “closed to visitor’s” sign
To the newly
Acquired addition,
Where to dubious stares,
I detailed the drama
Beyond the oak door,
Then John told me
To shut up
And the curator
Flashed a strange
Quizzical look.

We entered the room.

Constructed on plywood tables,
Precisely as described,
Miniature towns
Of various types
Gave witness
To cannon-dotted fields
As blue and gray soldiers
Silently fought
The Civil War.

                                             Chelle Munroe©
                                             January 16, 2014

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