One Midsummer Dream

Dorsy Hodam *

It was a dream, a midsummer midday dream
A wonderful dream, a summer day dream
Like something out of an idyllic Japanese movie
Sweeping me off away with the summer breeze
A dream where I saw myself in that red Bengali sari
Like one of those gorgeous girls in a Saratchandra novel

Running through mango orchards, riding on tramp trains

It must have been a dream, a midsummer dream
Where I am in a daze for a while after I wake
Finding myself on my old bed in my old room
The laugh, the voice, the stupid cheesy lines echoing
While I sit there unhinged, in a daze wondering
As if nothing ever happened, brought back to reality
Like I had never left, left my comfort or my city
As if those streets mean nothing to me, nothing at all
Like I had never loved, love you or your city

It went away like a dream, a midsummer dream
As if the full moon that shone that night was never real,
As if we never had our own stupid song or slow danced to it
As if you had never fell asleep on me while I read
And the orange rays that fell on you that evening was never real
As if I had never leaned on you while you sang
As if the rain that we played with that night never fell
As if I had never fell asleep to your voice every night
As if the heartbeats I felt as I lie on you were never real

It was a dream, a midsummer dream
Where you are in a daze for a while after you wake
Finding yourself back in your old room in your old bed.
Sitting up, remembering back, amidst the warm summer air
As your mother calls you for that routine evening chai.
You sit down, still a bit hazy from that midsummer dream
As you slowly sip, it fades. With the routine talks it fades
The midsummer dream fades as if nothing ever happened
As you are brought back to your innocent reality.
As if we never met, as if I never left.
As if it was a midsummer dream.