The following are the result of a prompt about dreams:

Dreams

I used to have a recurring dream.

I was me, a very young me,

running through an old Victorian white house,

a very big beautiful Victorian whiet house.

I ran and ran through this house, looking for and finding new places to hide.

There were always many doors in my very beautiful big, white Victorian house.

I don't know what I ran and hid from,

but I do know I was very frightened.

Avery frightened child running through a beautiful, big white Victorian house,

with never ending doors.

And I remember now, it was an unfurnished, beautifully big Victorian house

that I ran through in my dream

I don't know what this dream meant.

but I dreamt it for many years,

And I am happy to say I no longer have that dream.

-G

Dreams

I don't know why I don't dream.

Somewhere I heard once you stop using drugs you stop dreaming for a time.

Well, for me it's been years and years.

I don't remember my last dream- 

I remember when I was a kid, having fun dreams, like flying.

Before that, I can remember having the same nightmare over and over.

I can remember it like it was something I dreamed last night.

A monster was chasing me, and it's a starry night.

I'm running and running, out of breath I'm trying to get home.

I get closer and closer, 

I'm sweating and out of breath and the monster is at my feet almost

I arrive.

I try to open the door to my home and it's locked, so I ring the bell.

Someone answers who I don't recognize, 

Telling me my family has moved and it's no longer my home.

then I woke up- sweaty and out of breath.....

-L.M.

Dream

I have a recurring dream about snakes.

I'm totally scared, actually terrified of snakes anyway.

But here goes:

It in my home town in Florida. It's a small town. The only gas station in town is where I am. Standing on the side of it. All of a sudden all these snakes are on the ground just slithering over my feet. Like probably over 200 different snakes. I am frozen in place. Afraid if I even blink, I'll be consunmed in them all, biting me. But at the same time it seems as though I am like this mama snake and should be taking comfort in their comfortness... In their ability to be giving affection the way they are, toward me. I realize all of a sudden I am holding an albino reticulate python across me like a scarf. That's about when I wake up!

-Ashley lattin

Dreams

I wake up from my dreams in cold sweats and screams

Can't breathe, chest heaving in pain

all my energy just completely drained

Dripping sweat all down my face

trying to figure out where is this place

as my eyes start to focus and my breathing slows down

I realize I'm still behind walls

still got my knees to the ground

Fell out of my bunk trying to run from my life

Felt like it was chasing me with a two-sided knife

Trying to stick and slice me all sorts of places

Can't figure out why it never leaves any traces

Only deep ones inside that nobody can see

that hurt only within me and showing up in dreams

Can't tell no one the damage

Can't show them no scars

All I can do is write about it behind these damn bars

One day they will heal

eventually they fade

scars of bad dreams will one day behave

-J.J.