DREAMLAND

Here you will see strange happenings

With absolutely placid eyes;

If all your uncles sprouted wings

You would not feel the least surprise;

The oddest things that you can do

Do n't seem a bit absurd to you.

You go ( in Dreamland ) to a ball,

And suddenly are shocked to find

That you have nothing on at all,—

But somehow no one seems to mind;

And, naturally, you do n't care,

If they can bear what you can bare!

Then, in a moment, you're pursued

By engines on a railway track!

Your legs are tied, your feet are glued,

The train comes snorting down your back!

One last attempt at flight you make

And so ( in bed ) perspiring wake.

You feel so free from weight of cares

That, if the staircase you should climb,

You gaily mount, not single stairs,

But whole battalions at a time;

( My metaphor is mixed, may be,

I quote from Shakespeare, as you see ).

If you should eat too much, you pay

( In dreams ) the penalty for this;

A nightmare carries you away

And drops you down a precipice!

Down! down! until, with sudden smack,

You strike the mattress with your back.

At meals decline to be a beast;

‘ Too much is better than a feast.’