I had a dream…

I saw myself, yet, I was myself.
I saw a plague of boils
inflict itself upon my face.
I watched with distanced repugnance.
I noticed a boil on my left earlobe
which looked different from the rest,
that had a dark center. Myself
reached up and squeezed the boil,
and a dark ‘string’ started to come out,
grotesquely. Myself pulled on the ‘string’,
which solidified and unfolded, becoming
a twig of dead wood. I saw myself
holding and observing this twig,
not understanding, but, I seemed
to hear more clearly.

I saw the boils continue to pop out,
heading down from my face. Another
darker centered boil appeared on the right side
of my neck. Again, I squeezed, this time,
the dead wood was branch-sized,
and, I pulled it out of my neck, marveling
at its thickness, its muting ability. Because,
my voice seemed stronger, like it was better tuned
as a vehicle of Myself.

Now, I felt, as well as saw, the boils
race down my chest. They had more area
to grow, hypnotizing in their descent
of my skin. Just under my breastbone,
The largest boil of all exploded itself,
and a flesh-covered root protruded.
I didn’t think I could pull it out, too much
of Me was covering the deadened portion
it held within, but, I placed both my hands
around its width.

Then, I woke up…

I thought about the dream, as I lie there,
in the dark. And, I saw the boils as
awareness of self, as the struggle
to become a better human being, ridding
myself of humanity’s disease of
Self-Importance. I saw how I was closer
to my origin, and to my end. And, that
the biggest battle was yet to come,
to pull out the rotting root of my soul,
freeing myself from the strictures
of dead wood.

Erin Elizabeth Kelly-Moen
© Copyright 7/11/05