Tundra Dreamer

Adapted from “A Sweet and Sublime Enigma” by Martin Ogle, 2006.  

The dreamer knew limitless possibilities.

And yet, had been to the mountaintop and seen

The possibility of limits.

In the windswept tundra

Dwarf plants,

A few hardy creatures,

Danced with and hid from

The singing wind.

Shielding himself from the gale,

The dreamer saw the world below and marveled at

Limitless possibilities.

Infinite permutations of building blocks;

A whole far greater than the sum of its parts.

A pulsating, living being,

Enough to keep any mind occupied infinitely.

As the dreamer contemplated the world below,

He also felt

The possibility of limits.

Billions of plants, insects and people,

All as ash in a fire.

The dreamer laughed at the spectacle of

A famished dog eating itself to sate its hunger,

An eye trying to see itself.

Limitless possibilities, but within limits.

And so, he dreamt of good things, and saw

They were also evil.

He dreamt of a straight path, and saw

It was curved.

He dreamt of meaning, and found

It was meaningless.

And in this meaninglessness, he found

Great meaning and infinite possibilities.

An unconscious smile broke over his face

As his mind progressed at its own pace.

The wind whipped furiously in its gentle way

As the tundra settled down for its long winter nap.