In the Darkness of Sleep

In the darkness of sleep
My dreams are all colors and shapes;
In the darkness of night
I can see the stars;
In the burning cinders left from hate and bitterness
I see the flame that begins to burn
And that engulfs my cold and aching heart
Melding us together from the broken pieces left by those before us;
In the angry fist
Blackened with the ash and dust
Of our basest form
I see the white palm open in offering
And acceptance;
In the brown and cold, hard earth,
I see the white flower bursting in bloom;
In your dreams I see my dreams
And the colors twist into a spectrum of blazing light
Never ending and piercing the blackness
Sharper than their words or bullets;
In the black center of your eyes
I see my reflection
I see my hope:
Our joy,
Our elation
The thrill of the first rays at the break of dawn;
When we are one
We will fly with the doves over the mountain
We will drown in the light, it will engulf us;
We will catch the stars
And we will light the way 

Niki Afsar, 10th grade, 15 years old
Sidwell Friends School, Washington D.C., U.S.A
10th grade
Atheist/Quaker