Two Dreams

Two Dreams


1:: The Late Julian Hurtubise's Dream

I was elected
Emporer of China
and what could be more fun?
But soon after the election
I was stripped of my crown
during an assembly
at which no one
person in the realm
would step forward
to say a good word
about anything I'd done
since I'd been elected.

With bamboo sticks
and curses
I was driven from the palace
and the only job I could find
in all of China
was working in a rice paddy
barefoot
from sunup to sundown.

2:: He Went to the Mountaintop

Propelled
by the force of his will
he flew
to the top of the mountain
but his will couldn't stop him
from sliding back down
and while sliding back down
he broke a leg in three places.
At the foot of the mountain
a kind sister
a Mother Superior
wearing ancient lace
yellowing and moth-eaten
fixed his leg instantly
with her magic
her grace.

Impressed
he requested her phone number.
She gave him an envelope
which contained her business card
and a three-dollar bill.
Printed on the card
were her phone numbers
and the names of several cities
including Rio
and San Paulo.


Harvey Goldner