FOREST OF LOST DREAMS by Sara Evelyne

Forest of Lost Dreams by Sara Evelyne

Yesterday the mirror told me who I was,

today I don’t agree

the fracture of identity birthed seasons of change.

Change. Loss. Moving On.

Transformation.

Is that what lost dreams are?

Where do they go — this collection of the hope of tomorrow?

the loss of self

the loss of control and autonomy

the transformation of power and voice

the soft change of my story

the new narratives, new beginnings, new desires.

Does the new replace the old, smothering and stomping it down until it is no more?

Or does loss coexist with the love of today to forge a new kind of dream?

I wish someone would tell me the answer, but then who would I be?

As wisps of dandelions crossing the sky, I, too,

float through time. Some dreams go with me and some,

like the dandelion seeds, float away to somewhere else.

The dreams I hold in my heart

my hand, my mind, and in my breath

are mine to love, grieve,

to transform, and to outgrow.

I just wish someone had told me sooner.

Sara Evelyne is a poet, researcher, and brain injury survivor. She writes to remind others to 'never forget how far you’ve come just by waking up today.' Sara’s poem “Written in the Stones” is forthcoming in Letting Grief Speak: Writing Portals for Life After Loss, a writing craft book by Columbia University Press. Connect with her at www.saraevelyne.com.