Before when we were in our youth
as toddlers and children before our teens,
we were encouraged to nap and rest our heads
to nurture our young minds.
Before we’d dream, pondering the unknown, impossible, exciting, and vague.
Before we’d imagine with reckless abandon.
Before our thoughts would flourish and frenzy.
Before we were free and careless and untamed.
Before we became adults in this world.
Before the mounds of work to be done,
and deadlines to beat,
and people to impress,
and expectations to meet.
Before the pressures of life were ever applied,
and sleep became a privilege.
Before we were dreamers,
and perhaps that’s why the older we get
the less we tend to believe.
Before we’d sleep, and now we seldom do if at all,
as well as how frequently we dream.
Before we became the restless generation,
anything was possible,
but now we’re too tired to think.