©2014 Dave Clegg
I came across an old brass lamp
To which I gave a stroke,
And from which popped a genie
In a swirling cloud of smoke.
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes
Then focused them on me,
And said, “For my deliverance,
I do grant these wishes, three.”
So that is how I came upon
This Dream Control Device
For I was certain such a thing
Would fetch a handsome price.
Imagine, no more nightmares,
No more strange nocturnal trips.
Just wear this Dream Control Device
And you can write the scripts!
My store is always well-stocked
Though I sell them by the slew
The inventory won’t deplete
(Hey, thanks wish number two!)
It all went very well at first
My bank account exploded.
Alas, it wasn’t long before
Disturbing trends were noted.
It seems the population
In an ever-growing number
Are trading in their real lives
For a fantasy in slumber.
Theaters stand empty
And the garbage, uncollected.
I couldn’t find a doctor
When my hangnail got infected.
Now, only for the briefest times
Do people move about.
Mostly when the Sominex
And tryptophan run out.
Life, the way we knew it
Is now grinding to a halt.
Abandoned cars and buildings,
And to think, it’s all my fault!
With firefighters fast asleep
As raging fires are burning
It gives me pause to contemplate
The lesson I’m now learning.
If we could engineer our dreams
To play out as we choose,
The world would quickly fall apart
And crumble as we snooze.
"I wish I'd never wished this!"
I declare in one loud scream.
My third wish spent, I wake to find
Was all just one bad dream.
