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.’