That Terrible Nightmare: Salil Dhawan

It was all calm and quiet,
Everyone was asleep in the night.
I was in my own fantasy land,
Picking flowers, fragrant and grand.

Suddenly came a large dog,
Sniffing about and barking around.
It stared at me, but having being
In a gay mood Went up to where I stood.

Horrid doggy, he bit me badly,
And chased me out of there.
I, with tears in my eyes, departed
Leaving behind the beauties there.

On the road appeared a lady
As beautiful as Snow White.
With eyes glittering like light
And hair as thick as the night.

She took me to her house
And gave me all that I wanted,
Berries, fruits, sweets, candies
Until I realized, oh dear, she was haunted.

God knows, how did I manage with those
Large oars in my hand.
With hopes, I got exploring.
All that I found was thick vegetation
Then suddenly – yes I heard Someone snoring.

Curious was I when I saw a hut in that lonely place
When I realized that unwillingly,
I was Approaching it at a steady pace.
A tall, bearded man was sleeping inside.

In a moment I had to rush out
At the speed of miles per hour
Then I found myself in a boat,
Speeding slowly towards a lonely island.

He woke up with a start and called me to his bedside.
We had a nice time chatting and laughing.
He was living there for 20 years waiting.
He had left his life on destiny,
Then came the biggest shock when
He put me in a cage
But old was he and strong was I
I had to struggle a bit and I was free.

I ran like the wind and climbed a tree.
Bang bang went my head
And I realized I was under my bed
The alarm clock made me mad.
Oh Lord, what a nightmare I had.
The next day my legs ached a lot
Only when I saw our neighbour’s dog
I realized that it was the marathon I
Had run last night
That made my legs bend left and right.

∼ Salil Dhawan