Only Careful Dreams
except on Wednesdays
In the circus of my mind,
there is a posted sign
with inky, curvy lines:
only careful dreams.
A stifling reminder
I must consider, always.
Careful, like tiptoeing over
broken glass, biting your cheek
so the universe
won’t know you’re suffering
or wondering
if clouds are really as feathery
as in your dreams.
Careful.
Tap, tap, tap.
Three times feels best.
How could I crave
deliverance
from these obsessions
that hold me
like a newly-wed who finally
owns everything?
And space doesn’t matter
because we’ve never felt closer,
so close we don’t know
who is who.
Careful.
It’s easy to lose
yourself in fantasies.
Repetition helps
when you can’t tell
what’s real or really
good at pretending to be.
So, it’s better
just to make sure
you won’t catch the
house on fire
by swearing off candles,
or the kitchen stove,
or anything fun
because fun isn’t careful.
Can it be?
Forget everything
you know about dependency.
This special shade of gaslight
will have you questioning
anything that might
happen or already
has, but you can’t be sure
until you check, check, check.
Do you remember
when you dreamt
about that greedy sickness
and then it surfaced
everywhere?
I know it feels awkward
not to catastrophize
or lie on your spine,
but you should at least
cover your eyes
when you sleep
or you might
experience things
that don’t make sense.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
This isn’t real, or is it?
Careful.
About the circus of my mind,
I won’t claim to know
everything,
but if we unwind
the careful dreams,
and anxieties,
and restless fingers,
we might discover
that the broken glass
was really bubble wrap.
Every circus
needs a clown throwing
pies as much as acrobats,
and if you’re too busy obsessing,
you can forget how to breathe.
In the circus of my mind,
there is a freshly
painted sign:
only careful dreams,
except on Wednesdays.
About the Creator
Sam Eliza Green
Wayward soul, who finds belonging in the eerie and bittersweet. Poetry, short stories, and epics. Stay a while if you're struggling to feel understood. There's a place for you here.
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More stories from Sam Eliza Green and writers in Poets and other communities.
I Hope You Dream
I hope you dream, awake or asleep. Just know that I will listen to these recordings of your heart and soul. I hope, when someone says they don't care about things so inconsequential or scoffs over the silliness of it all, that you remember a silly little thing once saved me.
By Sam Eliza Green6 months ago in Poets
Comments (15)
I hope you have more Wednesdays. And that there is more bubble wrap. Bubble wrap is fun as well as a cushion.
Wonderful poem. Great work too
Stellar effort! Keep up the extraordinary work—congratulations!
Absolutely wonderful poem, you’ve really used wonderful imagery to make your words come alive. 
‘Every circus needs a clown throwing pies as much as acrobats’ loved this image (along with many others!) in your wonderful poem. Congratulations on TS! 🥳
I liked the surrealist approach at times and all the many meaning here. Unique work! 👏
i also have my own world in my mind...mostly a mix of the novels i've read so far. reading things such as this unique poem is what helps me escape. <3
I felt this one ❤️ thanks for ur beautiful honesty
Incredible poem. I really love the poem. Best wishes with you send blessing ❤️
My mother always referred to me as a realist. I never expect anything and therefore I'm never disappointed. Mom never knew of my little fantasy land. That's what I call it, anyway, a small place in my mind as I lay in bed waiting for sleep. I can fantasize about anything - do anything, be anything, without blame or repercussions. GREAT poem ... Love it.
Such beautiful words here. I’m obsessed with this poem!! I definitely know the feeling of cautiously moderating my hopes so I don’t feel disappointed in the end.
I love the circus theme a lot. Very well written piece 💓🥰🥰😍😍😍
Whoaaaa, this was so profound, thought provoking and powerful! Such an awesome poem!
This is amazing! I'll bet that bubble wrap was laid down to cover something half broken already.
Oh, Sam, this is STUNNING. Literally speechless. ... Careful dreaming... How suffocatingly you wrote this, yet so rapid-step as well. I'm immensely affected by this poem, the technical parts are incredible, metaphors, the ending, wordplay...and the emotional side too, the themes of identity here, coping with wanting more but restraining the feeling, the manifestation of unhealthy thinking, the structures built to alleviate and protect...UGH. No exaggeration: This is one of the best poems I've read on here.