Ancient in years, he lay alone
in his rickety bed clutching his only pillow
which, like him, was stained and creased from
time’s cruel assault. He knew his remaining days
were waning, the constant clock ticking them away,
but loneliness and age robbed any concern.

Sinking his head into the crusty pillow, sleep
conquered the old man in no time, the dream following
close behind, capturing his psyche, holding his
mind at ransom. Swiftly, the dream carried him
off to see the world even with eyes tightly
shut, his sleepy unawareness transformed to
conscious thought without his awakening.

In minutes he saw what he had never seen in all his
abundant years: people of all colors, creeds, and religions
living side by side in peace and harmony. He saw
nothing remained of war, hunger, disease, or crime
but bitter memories. Awake now, he refocused on
reality, indifferent once again his days were few.

His time on earth having not reached its end,
he wanted to see his wife, his best ever friend,
while he was an eagle with wings to fly.
She had left him abruptly, had it really been a year
since illness had taken her into God’s sphere?
Onward he flew, and up, ’till flying o’er heaven’s gate,
in eagle form, with no way to verbally communicate,
but thoughts of simply seeing her bringing him cheer.

Life without her had not been close to complete,
the love in his heart for her still fully replete.
He would do his best in this God given dream,
to beam his love down upon her, allow it to stream,
envelope love on his angel from her head to her feet.
He was an eagle now, gliding o’er streets paved with gold,
all the angels below him a marvelous sight to behold.

Each exuding happiness as if God’s work was play,
bright smiles on their faces as they knelt down to pray.
He was an eagle in awe, momentarily on hold.
His eagle eyes took but a minute to pinpoint his wife,
she was leading a choir of angels, all with eternal life,
and blissful and blessed, euphorically content.
He missed his wife terribly but the sight eased his lament,
finding heaven had no such thing as sadness and strife.

He concentrated hard to telepath affection and love
to the very inspiration below for his eagle’s flight above.
At that exact second in time she stared up at him straight,
smiling the silent message “I’m forever your soul mate”.
In death as in life they fit like a hand in a glove.
Suddenly rudely shaken by his alarm clock’s rings,
he awoke feeling his chest for feathers, his arms for wings.

Time to get ready for work, time to earn another day’s pay,
but he really wasn’t into it on this particular day,
his mind was on his departed wife, not business things.