Escape from Wonderland

By J. Scott Campbell

Sparrows chirp as they fly through the clear, crisp sky,

Golden leaves rustle along the ground, moved by the slight breeze,

The harvest sun warms my back as I sip blonde coffee,

And I contemplate how my life has changed this year.

I study my smooth hands, happy that I don’t cry when I look at them now,

The mailman ambles down the offices, at the same turtle pace.

The coffee cup clinks against the stone bench I rest on

And frustration wells up inside of me at current events.

The beauty of this gorgeous day quiets my chaotic mind,

Though thoughts of the consistent catch-22 of life

Make me turn my eyes skyward, looking for my pale solace,

Deep breaths and calm thinking are what will win this battle today.

Seasons come and seasons go, bringing joy and tears, hope and fears,

An overwhelming sense of foreshadowing curls my hands into fists.

I grasp desperately at opportunities and feel them slip silkily through my fingers,

A tear drops and spreads on the green fabric as it falls down the rabbit hole.

My foot slips on the crumbling edge of the earthy hole,

And I follow the elusive opportunities into an insane world below,

The red mushroom snaps as I land with a loud thud into Wonderland,

A figment of crazy peoples’ imaginations, it is definitely not boring.

I run, looking for an escape, looking for my verdant opportunities,

Wooden limbs slap my harried face, too-wide grins fade into the forest,

Smoke rings blur my eyes and choke my throat as I cough up blood,

As Mad Hatters and drunken Doormice dance upon a table too long.

TweedleDee and TweedleDum, the Dodo, they’re all here.

They call to me, begging me to stay with them in this bad fantasy,

Cards shuffle around and chase me towards the Red Queen,

Known here for her love of red, to bathe in the blood of her subjects.

Extinct animals dance in circles, and oysters are brainwashed by mad preachers,

No one understands my pleas, nothing will believe that I do not belong,

For they see inside my soul and know that I am one of them.

The jabberwocky stalks me, and a firedrake sniffs me out of the ashes.

A phoenix swoops by and lands on a nearby tree, who tries to shake it off,

The fiery bird locks its eye on mine and I approach it in wonder,

I don’t remember this part of the story, am I really so similar to this world?

I notice a silky, green sash wrapped around its wing and ask what it is.

The legendary animal sees my pain in my awe-stricken eyes

And a teardrop sparkles down to land on the green sash,

Turning it bright and shimmering as it slips off the crimson wing

And wraps around my shoulders, keeping me warm and smelling of home.

The phoenix nods its head at my grateful smile and bursts into flames,

Wings upraised to take flight, they swoosh down and the bird vanishes,

The tree wipes its brow and offers me a chocolate chip cookie,

And I grow as tall as a house, snuggling with my green sash of opportunity.

Pale light, cold and thoughtful, seeps through my eyelids,

I raise my head and look around at my bedroom.

Relief and disbelief flood my emotions and I send a prayer of thanks,

Then rest my head on my pillow, cuddling the scarf, and close my eyes with a sigh.

Tomorrow’s a new day.