Roads of Life

As a child I had dreams of flying every night
soaring above the clouds, happy and free.
Adolescent dreams showed my parents trying
to lock me in a suit of armor, couldn’t breathe.

Young adulthood too busy to dream much
but then a series of dreams once a year after
I started teaching. The first year I saw myself
riding a tricycle on a long dark road, it was hard

to see my way. The next year I was on a ten speed
bike then the third one in a Cadillac I couldn’t drive
out of the garage. In time, as my skills improved,
I went from race cars, to an eighteen wheel semi-truck

before the beginning of each school year
always along different unlit roads.
One year I arrived in a finely tuned Trans-Am
but left on a ten speed bike again. That was

the year I changed districts. Didn’t know
it would happen until November. A call, from out
of the blue, asked me to apply for a job closer
to home. Another time I was driving an RV

but it stopped while going up hill. I got
out to push but decided it was too difficult
so walked away instead. That was the year I
left staff development and curriculum resources

to return to the classroom. When I became
a principal I drove my family car to
an airport and was asked to pilot the plane.
Three years later, before I changed schools,

I was out at sea, swam to shore, then rode
an ambulance to the struggling school.
Finally retired when a large locomotive came
to a stop. Climbed out of the cab and walked away.

In my retirement I dream of travel to forest lands,
mountainous regions in foreign countries.
The other night I heard some noises outside
the house, got up to see what was going on

saw that both of our cars were missing. I went inside
to wake Bill up and cried, "Someone stole our cars!"
woke up from my dream instead, heart pounding, trying
to figure out what the dream meant, then remembered

we had an appointment to update our life insurance.
I hope the dream was only a reminder that we
must be prepared if the worst should happen.