The dream world is pernicious and insistent
Inside it you believe it to be utterly real
Everybody does, that’s how pernicious it is
And you have to be asleep to live in it

Upon stepping out of the dream
Either permanently or temporarily
You realize it is utterly illusory
And only offers a facade, an appearance
And that Reality is somehow hiding inside the appearance

This may well bring you to your knees
Shock you to the core
Totally undermine you
And completely mystify you
What you once believed, all your life,
Has turned out to be a false construct

But that’s it, once the spark has caught,
Once glimpsed, felt or experienced in some way
Reality calls you
The fire has started, the seed planted
The sails have been hoisted
And there is nothing you can do
But set sail

And then the journey really begins
That’s the true voyage
The one your heart wants
The one that speaks to your soul

And of course you will meet storms and tempests
Even monsters and dark shadows
But it will forge you and grow you
In ways you could never imagine

And pretty soon the dream will be far behind
And appear small and innocuous
And those still inside it, believing it to be real,
Will touch your heart
And your love will reach out to them
And maybe you will touch someone with your truth
And your tenderness.