The Beauty & Danger of Dreams? Wide Awake or Asleep nothing is ever what it seems…

As soon as dusk turned into night Morpheus made his way into her dreams.

He hesitated for a while before crossing the gate of his cave perhaps a little bit afraid of what might lie ahead.  He could not quite comprehend how it was possible for a fragile human creature to arouse such a desire in his mind now imprinted with images of her body; he did not understand how something completely intangible and formless was able to fill his soul so deeply. But one thing did become clear to him: he had to find out where her dreams would take him.

With a smile he walked on encouraged by a gentle breeze that carried her voice and spoke to him about hope and long forgotten times. In her world day and night, spring and autumn lived together so at times he would rest on top of a green hill to salute his brother Sun or welcome back his mother Moon. Although he was very familiar with the cycle of nature yet, for the first time in his immortal life, it seemed to him that he had not seen or felt anything like it. The sky would tinge itself with orange and purple and the rivers would borrow from the night tiny pieces of stars to make their water more brilliant when playing games of light. Wide fields of lavender and ivory covered great part of the land surrounded by thick and red leaf woods made naked by autumn’s impermanence and nearly shorn of the joy and fears of her dreams. And when the heavy rain of reality would fall unexpectedly upon the land he would carry on walking drying the path with his long, black cloak.

As he reached the crag above the ocean he noticed that a few poppies were growing here and there amongst the rocks, he picked one and a smile crept on Morpheus’s face: “You knew all this time,” He exclaimed out loud aware that this is where he belonged. Every night, the mighty of dream, would assume human form and give to her woman a poppy in order to put her asleep and make love with her through her dreams. “What an unfair and cruel destiny has Zeus reserved for us,” he said throwing the flower into the water. But as he turned to leave a strong wind made him faced back the ocean whose waves were crashing and echoing angrily against the shore before rising up high and majestically with their white hems of foam and buttons of seashells.

“Ay Poseidon,”

“Ay Morpheus,”

“King of oceans and supreme governor of sea life, do allow me to sail your waters and move forward into this journey to her.” Morpheus said with a hesitant voice recognizing his beauty and danger.

“Oh Morpheus you are indeed the God of Dreams and most likely a dreamer yourself.” Poseidon laughed.

“Do not make fun of me nor my nature Poseidon. It’s easy to talk for the God of the Sea who sings with dolphins and make love with mermaids for they were made of water and to water will return. No glory for the mighty of dreams that lives inside a cave and watch from the darkness, that golden glint of wonder and mystery each mortals have in their eyes before falling asleep. To me the gift to take human form without enticement of the senses; to me the ability of sending off dreams but not allowed to have one. After all, what purpose I could serve in being an eternal dreamer? It would be a burden greater than the one Sisyphus has been condemned to.”

“And what cure have you found for this affliction? Another affliction: falling in love with a mortal woman.” Poseidon said sadly. “You do have more gifts than you believe and I think very highly of them. To you have been given the knowledge of the stars and the universe, to you the ability to uncover all the secrets of human hearts while governing their minds. I may inspire artists, poets and lovers though you speak to them: you have the capacity of experience. Although you carry the image of a daemon, your nature is sensible and belongs to the world of ideas, thoughts and desire. I know the depths of the earth and sea; you know the depths of the soul. Zeus has given you the power of creating infinite possibilities that go beyond the ephemeral temptation of the senses.”

“Alas Poseidon, Time has not by my side. To the hyperuranion has given too much praise. Gods of my nature know nothing about space and the value of passing seconds and minutes that like your waters create and destroy, reveal and then take everything with it. My love for this woman is sincere and I shall marry her with or without your blessing.”

“Dear Morpheus, you’ve been spending too much time with humans lately whom, like many other temporary living creatures, have yet to learn a great deal about love. Look around you my friend, in her dream you are the sun – she is the moon; she blooms like a flower – you strip her of her petals.” Morpheus attempted to reply, but then gave a bitter smile before bowing his head. Poseidon continued firmly: “You know what is the beauty and danger of dreams? Wide awake or asleep nothing is ever what it seems.”