When You Dream

He tiptoed into the room once again, against his better judgment. He slid his finger along the side of his crib and stared at the small sleeping face. He let out a wispy sigh as he watched the tiny chest rise and fall. He leaned against the crib with his chin in his hands as he felt his heart swell with love for the tiny bundle resting peacefully in slumber.

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With life just begun, my sleeping new son
has eyes that roll back in his head
They flutter and dart, he slows down his heart
and pictures a world past his bed
It's hard to believe
As I watch you breathe
Your mind drifts and weaves

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He began to wonder what, if anything, this tiny human could be dreaming about. Throughout his own life, he'd had countless dreams night after night, some seemingly so real that he often wondered if they really happened.

Could he be dreaming at this moment? And if so, what about?

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When you dream,
what do you dream about?
When you dream,
what do you dream about?
Do you dream about
music or mathematics
or planets too far for the eye?
Do you dream about
Jesus or quantum mechanics
or angels who sing lullabies?

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With a child being so new could he possibly remember his life before he was born? Does he remember being in the arms of Jesus requesting for the breath of life to be breathed upon him? Does he remember the months spent in utero? Does he remember the long and painful journey through the birth canal? Or have all those memories faded?

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His fontanel pulses with lives that he's lived
With memories he'll learn to ignore
And when it is closed, he already knows
he's forgotten all he knew before
But when sleep sets in
history begins
But the future will win

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And what about reincarnation? If that's a possibility, can he remember all the things he did in that life? His mother and father? Siblings? His accomplishments? Goals? Failures? Wife? Children? Career?

If all that is true, when will he forget the life he led before? Before conception? During the birthing process? Or is that what his dreams are riddled with? Once he begins to really live his new life and his fontanel begins to close, do all those memories close with it?

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When you dream,
what do you dream about?
When you dream,
what do you dream about?
Are they color or black and white,
Yiddish or English
or languages not yet conceived?
Are they silent or boisterous?
Do you hear noises just
loud enough to be perceived?
Do you hear Del Shannon's "Runaway" playing
on transistor radio waves?
With so little experience,
your mind not yet cognizant
Are you wise beyond your few days?

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It's mind boggling to try to comprehend the mind of a child. Whether you believe in reincarnation or divine intervention, there are so many questions left unanswered.

He sighed once again as he gently lifted the sleeping body from the crib. His little body jerked but his breathing quickly returned to normal as he was safely cradled against his daddy. He quietly slipped over to the rocker in the middle of the room. He sat and swayed in the rocker as he softly hummed one of his favorite lullabies.

He looked down at his son's precious face and he smiled.

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When you dream,
what do you dream about?
When you dream,
what do you dream about?

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