Dream Thief

By Shane Robitaille

If I had a time machine
I would go back to that
terrible day when the fire
in your eyes went out,
to the exact moment
when you let somebody
steal your wildest dream.
I would chase them down,
tackle the low-life thief to
the ground (maybe even
rough them up a bit),
and wrestle the dream
from their grubby hands.
Then I’d place the fragile
treasure into my jacket
pocket for safe keeping,
jump back into the time
machine and give it back
to you in a golden box,
with a silver bow,
and a hand-written note
that said, ‘It’s time.’

art by Christina Angelina