Cabbage Dreams

I am dreaming my cabbage dream.

I�m peeling off the outer leaves

to find what lies hidden beneath.

Looks much the same as the outer leaf,

a little less battered and crinkled

but fundamentally the same.

Now for the next layer.

There�s a drop of water 

shining full of light

and something darker, more solid,

the leavings of some hidden creature.

Another layer reveals the holes

and the sleepy caterpillar

dreaming...

without his pipe 

without his crown,

so unsure of 

his own

identity, 

much less mine.

If I peel off 

layer after layer until

I get to the heart of it,

will I understand where I�ve come from

and be able to unpack the dream,

find the pipe and put the pieces 

together, make sense of the

cabbage, crown the king.

First published in Poetry Breakfast, June 11, 2016https://poetrybreakfast.com/2016/06/11/cabbage-dreams-a-poem-by-lynn-white/