Written in a moment of frustration, The Dream Crushers is a raw reflection on the lifelong pressure to shrink, obey, and silence one’s creative voice. I’m sharing it exactly as it came out — unpolished, unfiltered, and honest.
THE DREAM CRUSHERS
6‑30‑2026
From the moment
one steps that little foot
outside a mother’s womb,
the dream crushers wait.
From the doctor slapping that little behind
to anoint you to the travails of the world,
down to the disappointed look on your aunt’s face
of “Oh, he’s… hmmm… cute.”
Grade school just a blur of foolishness,
but for the mind‑blowing,
world‑shattering, and glorious discovery
of reading —
a preparation to writing long put off
till it’s almost too late.
The dream crushers expect little of you:
just obedience,
not even loyalty,
but a dogged adherence to stay in your lane.
Once that little step gets too big for itself,
the crushers raise their fists
to pulverize,
beat that dream to smithereens.
Write what sells, not what tells —
that which is powerful and beyond compare.
Cuz for every dream, every milk,
the dream crusher awaits.
But each time I’ll offer another.
I will try again till one day…
Though I feel the downcast,
the gloom
of the emotional crush —
all because of one little writing.
About the Creator
Victor Mendez
Born in 1958.There's a lot of road beneath these feet.Worn out pairs upon pairs of shoes.Been a ranch kid,a city kid,a Marine,a dad, a grandfather now,an avid reader and just recently began writing poetry in 2015 just to vent.
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