Poetry in the Dark

My Creative World I never lost my imagination growing up. For the most part, it could be a good thing. I used to dream of entire worlds where I was a hero like in the video games I'd play, boldly charging at danger with my sword in my hand. I fantasized about being my favorite mutant hunting vampires and ghouls, even having the same hair style. Normally when people get older they stop daydreaming about being the hero in a dark world. As for me, when I got older, I just fantasized about whatever I was into at the time. Then, I was a monster-slaying mutant, and now, I'm a demon hunter riding in an old-school car with my brother. I wanted to be my heroes so bad that I was okay with being in their world full of monsters and evil. As of now, however, that's starting to change. I still spend way too much time daydreaming, but the nature of which is more peaceful. My most recent daydream was a friend and I that I never saw as a romantic interest now being my wife. We’re sitting in a brick kitchen with a wooden table and chairs drinking coffee out of white porcelain cups. We're not saying anything, but on occasion we would look up, lock eyes, laugh a little, and go back to drinking. Every time I see her look up at me, the sun is shining behind her, and it looks as if she's glowing, despite the fact that the only window is to her side. But in my creative world, the laws of physics or love do not apply. The strangest thing about it isn't the romantic interest or the sun breaking common sense or even the fact that in real life I don't drink coffee. The strangest thing about it is that I'm not a hero in a broken world, but just someone who truly feels loved. I find myself having these daydreams more often than not, daydreams in my creative world where I'm happy and it's sunny and noisy and full of smiles. When I used to daydream about being some sort of hero, I left the dream feeling as if I just watched my favorite tv show, and I was the guest star. Now, when I leave my cheerful daydreams I look up from my cup to see no one there, no one smiling or laughing and the sun dimly shining through the curtain covered window. I feel like I'm back in that tv show I loved so much, full of monsters and darkness, only this time I’m not the hero. I'm not even the villain. I'm just a guy in an empty room sipping juice from a coffee cup and waiting for the credits to roll.