i had a nightmare

i woke up
the sun was shining
bird’s were chirping
and the smell of freshly brewed coffee was wafting into my room

i slowly rolled out of bed,
a stiff crack shuddered through my body
and i rubbed my misty eyes

shuffling into the kitchen
i grabbed a large mug
and filled it to the brim

my newspaper was waiting outside
beside my blue adirondack chair
the lake was shining as the sun’s rays danced playful across it’s waves
and i could make out the silhouette of a man on the dock

he was familiar
and i knew that i loved him

it was a perfect Saturday morning
i looked over at the man
and smiled

he looked back and asked,
‘honey, where are your glasses?’

i was surprised,
i had never worn glasses a day in my life
but felt the urge to travel back inside to find them

after a long search
i found myself with my glasses in hand
in front of the bathroom mirror

i placed them on my face
and looked in the mirror
but the person looking back was not me

her face was wrinkly
and speckled with dark spots,
her hair was grey
and permed
her teeth were stained
and her eyes reflected years of memories and life

i screamed
and the face screamed back
and we both screamed at each other

‘honey, what’s wrong?’
yelled the man,
as he raced into the house
‘what’s wrong?’
‘what’s wrong?’
‘what’s wrong?’

i opened my eyes

and my roommate was shaking me,
‘what’s wrong?’ she asked,
eyes filled with concern

‘i’m old’
i managed to say as i gasped for air