April 22, 2009

Contest Questions

Personal dreams; are they the same as your own American Dream?
And is a childhood dream
only one of of the ingredients for your completed dream?

I ask myself this as I read through
the many entries.

Do "good fences make good neighbors"?

When I was young; whether playing in the countryside
or "in town" (with sidewalks and paved roads),

to have the ability to run with abandon
through the yards (and the lives?) of others
allowed my imagination to flow just as free.
Was this my American Dream of childhood?
Dreaming of being a horse, or a dragon,
or a magic sprite,



or cops & robbers, or simply playing hide-and seek...
my imagination knew no bounds.

But to play in a neighborhood with fences;
removes the wildness.
And thus removes the "wild horses" or
"fierce dragons" or "quick-flying magic sprites"
or "far-ranging cops & robbers" or
"highly camouflaged hide-and-seek",
leaving frustration or confusion
about limits.
Keeping "them" out
or keeping "us" in?

Is my American Dream
that of no limits?

Perhaps.

Do kids still feel this way
about fences...
All over the world?

Keep those entries coming!

M


-And I apologize for
the fuzziness of my
photo...
It was taken in 1968.

1 comment:

globalgal (Heather) said...

Fantastic photo! The fuzziness only adds to it!

This post made me stop and think about how as a child I dreamed of becoming a nun. We were not Catholic. I just wanted to wear a habit. And so I converted my Halloween witch costume into one and wore it everyday after school. I suppose part of the American Dream is the freedom to pursue those things that seem crazy to others (my parents were so perplexed - why did I want to be a nun?). Living in China has shown me that many children around the world, while they may dream of becoming certain things, never really get the chance. Although now that is changing in China and kids might get the chance to be something they dream of being. The "fences" are coming down here.