I can relate to this - my other side of sleep is equally strange and very unreal. Makes for interesting thoughts the next morning! Great write!

You are a commercial with no constraints...you can live in the dream and dream in the life...the ending? “I frown and slip into the yellow bag inside the box, I curse the guy who drank the fifth of scotch.” a self prophecy or realization...Great read Gene

lol..oh my goodness...was I dreaming? I was a drift an ole pirates boat smelling that burnt algae, then I felt the message of what we cast out to another, returns to pay us a visit, yet then I felt the key of possibilites was shared & returned in kind...I felt like a mystery unfolding in the crypt of messages that in the land of dreams are gifts to us...."The Other Side of Sleep" has many hidden life wisdoms Gene....But at the same time of recieving these gifts the visuals delighted my minds eye with intrigue & fancy....like a movie
Sweet!!
Much Love & Inspirations :)
Peace, Love & Praise to the messenger of dreams....
Embraced~Embrassé
Vickie

Gene: An interesting dream/tale surrealist romp. At first, being quite the literalist (if a poet) I was actually trying to follow what was going on. What? I say? Huh? I say? Oh, not the headless horse over the whale: I took that to be surf or cloud. I thought that was a great image. But perhaps the headless horse is as the imaginary serpents: after all, we are in the other side of sleep. You know that I know that you know that I know what sleep deprivation and/or vivid dreaming is all about. I stopped trying to follow the logic because of course that is not possible. i went with the feel of it. I knew something was off (and to give up thinking linearly, logically) when the companion ran off as soon as you were by the topless woman. What kind of crazy man just snarls and leaves a GW with his topless woman? Anyway, I like the appearance and disappearance of the key. I believe the key is the main character. yes, i think we would all have liked a hollywood ending, but it's better this way. It's kind of like trying to reach the end of an (unobstructed) horizon. I know the woman leaves alone, but in my mind, you can reappear at any time, or the key can, or maybe the key is you, and the darn thing can go on forever, with people appearing and leaving ad infinitum. I'm wondering if this is a poem that you wrote and said, well it doesn't make much sense, it is a bubbling up of the subconscious, let's see what others make of it. Nothing wrong with that. I'll bet I'm wrong, though. Many shades of course of Alice in Wonderland here; different animals, but much disappearing and reappearing and then loopholes. I think the important thing is what you are trying to say here, which is that the woman would have been better than scotch. How does burnt algae smell? Does algae burn if the sun is hot enough? Just wondering. I think you may have a few spinoff poems here. I love the limo as a jaguar (a sleek black jaguar, which somehow is phallic to me, or Freudian, I should say). And a salty kiss. It makes me wonder how salty kisses differ from sugary ones. At any rate, kudos from your fellow insomniac who is also always finding and losing a kay. julianza

Your mind, My Gosh, your mind....this is simply brilliant

Fun poem Gene. So what was it you ate before going to sleep? I'll be avoiding that snack. The companion disappears through a loophole....great line.
As always, J'nia

this is an interesting title to a poem. very well written and
metaphorically lyrical. it sure is different!

The title intrigued me.. the poem enthralled me.. nice work!

Myrna

I would like to take a peek into yore ear, to see what was a goin on inside that busy brain of yours! An AMAZIN write, Sugar! HUGS! SC

As I read this...I felt that it was like one of those hi-tech commercials for expensive cars or liquor or even those tropical vacations... yet it was written exquisitely... LSD, sober or a little off the wagon...I like it mucho!! lindalaw

You have written such a magnificent dream/poem. I love your imagery and imagination. This is one of your best, nicely done, Gene
Peace, love, and light,
Amber "V"

until the joy of life has returned, may I suggest a temporary remedy of champaign cocktails three times daily -- at the end of the week, your joy, the lost bottle of Scotch will have been returned to you -- this is a very imaginative piece of symbolism Gene -- I have always maintained that you are indeed a creative writer -- loved it -- peace and love to you my friend -- JMW

And here I thought you'd ride off with the woman, it was your dream after all. lol Too bad about the scotch though, you certainly needed something to ease the pain. What does this say about your waking life? Hmmm... I loved the poem.

Oh my gosh, I love this! You've got me grinning from ear to ear!

shades of LSD but your imagery is too structured for that
besides I like the "other side of sleep" as the culprit;-)
Fascinating Gene!

Eileen

What du heck did you drink before you went to bed, Gene? Good HEAVENS. What a ride, complete with laughing gulls: gotta love it. And I do. Well done! And save me a sippa dat stuff, 'k?

((((HUGS)))) and love, Karla.

Wow, very picturesque and full of symbolism.......I enjoyed it!!! lol pax A

Damn but aren't those flashbacks the best or was this the initial hit of acid way back when...Ed