The Missing Dreams of Dennis
David Jure, Victoria
Volume 35 Issue 4, 5 & 6 | Posted: July 8, 2021
fame is a by-product, fame is a tool
says Dennis Macon
from his spot on Douglas;
tanned and pitted he spends
most of his time happily on Mars
rerouting canals and breaking
down bicameral modes of thought.
In a world where poverty is a crime
he makes it his lot
to beam sunshine into the lives
of decrepit managers
and grumbling fellow tenants.
He averages ten dollars a day
from his panhandling;
he always seems to have food,
when he is not setting the kitchen on fire.
But some dreams are missing.
A search party was sent into his mind
to see if those really were memories of Vietnam
or just a wild barbecue on Saltspring.
Ever after he was an institution
around the two rambling houses,
and drunk or stoned, day or night
he would come in
with wild hari
all his dreams missing;
he had an old car parked in the driveway
for three months and one
day or night he spent his rent money on insurance
and the manager was forced to let him go,
watching world cup soccer
and waving a papal hand to
dismiss the grief and agony
poor Dennis faced
on a daily basis.
(From David’s new book Inkrements)
David Jure, Victoria