If only I could get paid…

If only I could get paid for sleeping and dreaming…
then I’d say, “Move over, Bill Gates!”

New York’s sun kept me in buses and trains
dozing and dreaming…
dreaming about a Manhattan
where drivers aren’t that rude
dreaming about Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn
without their restless crowds
dreaming about Manhattan’ skyscrapers
melting in the sun
while stone churches stand still and forever.
above all, I dream about noiseless, smooth-running trains
on shiny tracks unadulterated by trash
or rainwater from the leaking roofs.

Manila’s rains kept me in buses and cabs
dozing and dreaming…
dreaming about the homeless sheltered in mega malls
dreaming about comfort for the hard-working people
dreaming about sewers that aren’t clogged
and streets that aren’t flooded
so no child is drowned in open manholes.
above all, I dream about the buses and “jeepneys”
without their usual black smoke
so Manila’s skyline is clear.

If only I could get paid for sleeping and dreaming…
then I’d say, “Move over, Bill Gates!”
but who’s going to pay a dreamer?
a dreamer like me will starve
and will just keep on dreaming
dozing and dreaming…
zzzzzzzzzz…

jamison072606