After gazing at stars
with my nieces
during the night
to find Orion’s Belt,
Taurus, Venus, Betelgeuse,
Ursa Minor, and other
tiny specks in the sky,
I went to sleep
and dreamed about the opposite
by being perched
high up in the atmosphere,
precariously standing on two blocks
that resembled something
out of Super Mario Bros.
or maybe chess squares,
and I could look down to see
the city of Atlantis
lit up in all its glory
until the dread of falling
to my death took hold.
I didn’t slip from the spot
but the sensation
of what it would be like
to plummet down to earth
shook my soul to its core.
It could be a prophecy
of doom or salvation
depending on the angle of perception
from which the warning
or blessing
is viewed.