Yes, they do have dreams to buy.
I purchased another one today.
Yeah, I realize that lottery tickets
Are the opiate of the unfufilled,
The 401K of rural white rednecks
Too lazy to set up a meth lab,
Just another tax set up by legislators
Who ought to protect us from such scams,
But this two dollar piece of paper
Gives credence to my fantasies.
It's hope that one can actually hold onto,
Something tangible, a wand one can use
To conjure forth images of wealth.
"You can't dream if you don't play."
I've lived an unhealthy share of my life
In the nebulous world of dreams.
No, not the Theatre of the Absurd
That pervades consciousness during sleep,
Those sickly excretions of the bizarre
That too often twist into something frightening,
Like writhing snakes, their coils
Wrapping tighter around me until I wake,
Gripped by fear, gasping for breath.
No, these are nightmares, not dreams.
No, the dreams this ticket buys for me
Sustain a myriad of visions. Yeah, I know
That winning a lottery is as likely to happen
To me as Staci Keibler walking up
And whispering "I've always wanted you,
Big guy. To hell with George Clooney."
It's as likely as electing an honest politician,
Discovering the elusive Fountain of Youth
Or bringing a peace accord to the Middle East.
Still, this ticket will fuel my dreams.
I see myself paying off our son's college loans,
Relocating to a region of my choice, such as
History rich and beautiful Vermont or Virginia,
Buying my wife and me a home in the country
Along a little stream just wide enough to plunk
Pebbles into as we sit idly upon its bank,
My mind weaving nets to catch new reveries.
I see a rare book store, I'm perusing a volume
Of " Death's Jest Book" signed by Beddoes
That the owner has set aside for me. I read.
I write. I've finally time to shape my thoughts
Images and experiences into poems and tales.
Yeah, you can say that I'm wasting my money,
But a couple bucks is a cheap price for daydreams.
Your dreams don't have a prayer of coming true
If you scorn them and refuse to pay.
"You can't dream if you don't play."
