I awoke nervously from a dream
I tried to remember the details of that dream
Which had left such a strong and intense impression
In that dream I was no longer retired
But on my way to my old office
Waiting at the bus stop for my usual bus
It soon arrived and I duly boarded
Expecting the usual half hour ride
Via familiar streets and landmarks
But the view from my upstairs window
Was wholly strange and different
The bus was proceeding through
Unfamiliar roads and passing
Unfamiliar buildings and landmarks
Thinking I had got on the wrong bus
I rang the bell for the bus to stop
I jumped off and checked the bus’s route number
It displayed my usual route number and destination
This was weird and unaccountable
I decided to somehow find my way to my office
I had an important meeting to attend
I wandered around the streets for a while
Hoping to find a familiar landmark
At last, I happened upon a recognised building
It was my local bank which luckily
Was only a few minutes’ walk from my office
I made my way there on foot but this time
The route was now comfortingly familiar
Entering the office building I did not
Recognise the usual receptionist
It was not Gloria who invariably would offer
A friendly greeting but instead a new face
Perhaps Gloria was away replaced by an agency temp
I took the lift to the eighth floor where the
Conference room was located
The lift stopped at the fourth floor and a man entered
He was someone I recognised from Accounts
But I thought he had died some years ago
On leaving the lift I walked along the corridor
Passing staff that I recognised but again
Thought had either left the company or were sadly dead
I entered the room that had always been the Conference room
But it was not – It was a typing pool
Where twenty typists sat with headphones
Hitting keys on manual typewriters
I was then approached by a security official
Who asked to see my ID
Which I did not have
I was escorted off the premises
I stood bewildered on the pavement outside
Pondering the veracity of the situation
I then woke up and it took me a while
To separate the dream experience from reality
I questioned what fuels the semi-conscious mind
To invent such half related truths
Had I travelled back in time?
And was the dream experience similar to how we
Exist in death when only the mind or soul survive
To experience events which need no corporal body
Some strive to interpret reasons for our dreams
But this one lingered long and I could find no explanation