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Dreams that Bear the Mark of Love

Written by Faith McKinnon

 

"Because dreams that bear the mark of love / are dreams that never die"

Colony House. “Moving Forward.” When I Was Younger, RCA Records, 2014.

 

do you have any dreams that bear the mark of love, darling?

dreams are elusive

like a mischievous faerie, or a pixie that beckons for you

just around the bend

but you reach the clearing where it promised to wait

you are left with only the babbling brook for company

not that you mind, usually—she's quite friendly, saves you the need to reply as she chatters on

but that dream promised.

 

where did it go?

 

you call for it to return

so that you may seek to turn it into more than a dream

so that you may go from dreaming to doing

but as you peer around the bend and leave the brook behind

endless hills greet you

and no pixie or faerie in sight.

the dream has escaped once more,

into the recesses of your cavernous and gorgeous mind.

 

***

 

days of summer whisper as they pass by

you hear music in hues of gold

flute shimmers like the lavender dusk at sunset

percussion pounds in all its vivid beats

saxophone croons in rich and twisting colors—you're never quite sure what color it may be

acoustic guitar paints in pastels

piano notes sing in shades of gray

from the dramatic charcoal to a sorrowful dove-gray

and as the last note lingers on once-summer air

you hear the little laugh like clinking glass

of your ever-disappearing dream.

but this time, you pause. inhale deeply. smile at the sky and thank the world for its beauty. 

you listen to the laughter like clinking glass

and the music in hues of gold,

and gratitude floods you.

 

summer seeps into sepia days

and you chase, chase, chase the dream.

this time—oh, this time—

you shall never relent in your pursuit. 

but now, you know to be gentle yet firm; unyielding but compassionate 

and then the day comes when—

when you arrive at that clearing,

and there stands your dream. 

it waits for you to approach, to ask it

"why?"

it smiles and tosses its head, letting the dying sun catch it in fiery hands.

"the mark of love, my dear," it replies. 

"what is 'the mark of love?'" you ask, but your dream merely smiles 

with a knowing look in its luminous eyes.

suddenly, the dying sun catches you in it fiery hands, and you

have never felt

    this way

        as if light itself

            runs through your veins

                as if the sun itself has bequeathed 

                    viscous gold to your soul.

"is this the mark of love?" you breathe, basking in the purity. 

you watch your dream—it nods—and you start to understand.

"all these days i spent chasing you, you were only waiting for me," you begin. "waiting for me to realize that you did not bear my mark of love. i was selfish. you had to wait for me to bestow upon you the mark of love in order for me to catch you."

"yes. i must thank you for saving me," says your dream. "for making me a dream marked by love."

 

at last, you have peace.

 

 

Faith McKinnon is a 15 year old chocolate-lover, athletic nerd, artist, and a passionate Christian. She lives in far northern California, where she enjoys soaking up sunshine and life. She loves both wild dreaming and careful planning, playing competitive sports and curling up with a book, and calls herself an introverted extrovert. She feels too diverse to be explained in a few sentences, will always overwrite and talk too much, and can be found on Write the World at "hold on to the memories."