Merchant of dreams
There is, of course, all kind of dreams and, like with any commodity, those dwelling upon them need to select and classify them according to whether they are day or night dreams.
Be it as it may, they are dreams, nevertheless. Once this overview is being clarified, the notion of what a merchant is beyond someone who trades merchandise for money or other merchandise which can include a variety of elements and possibly other dreams as well, remains to be seen. Fore there is a definite difference between a merchant’s status and that of a creative businessman or entrepreneur. It is also difficult to imagine that dreams can be quantified and dealt with as a commodity, mostly because no two dreams are the same or even similar. And, yet, there are those who dwell upon them and there is a variety of people - other creatures don’t get that far - who actually are involved in the study, commerce and business of dreams. Hence, to study the science of dreams or help people interpret them is one thing, but commerce or trading? It seems a bit far fetched if not entirely outrageous! Though, if one knows and perhaps understands the way people are in general in their rush for money, why not embellish also dreams in a way that they can be traded? They did this with canned fresh air from the Holly Land for a couple of dollars each. And people bought them! Amazing… To acquire an item for one’s souvenir collection, is one thing, but air?! Even holly water may make more sense, though how holly it is, let’s face it, is more in the eyes of the beholder.
And so it is also with the element of dreams that come and go the way they please, or not at all! Just like us! Inconsistent, unpredictable with a bunch of esoteric ersatz, not even an organized or cohesive pandemonium! And, as clear as they may be while they visit us and we are convinced we will remember them in the morning, so fast they also disappear from our memory leaving, perhaps, only traces of pleasure or horrifying feelings we try to forget as soon as we do our morning toilette. Gosh, we are so sorry and even mad when we cannot preserve those few extraordinary dreams we enjoyed! So, what can or could a Merchant of Dreams do? How can he/she secure the suppliers and whom to sell such dreams to? How much for, and, under what conditions? Would process differ whether the dreams are in black and white or color? And if they are bits and ends, is the Merchant’s editing make any difference?
What if they will have their value increase? Undoubtedly, such awareness dignifies the popular old saying “Penny for your thought”. I’m sure, though, that their value would be much more than a mere penny. Come on, how many dreams have been at the core of a novel thought that led to an original idea which gave birth to millions of dollars invention? But even so, one needs to capture and preserve such valuable dreams and this is where our Merchant may know something about it, although I doubt it! Let alone that in our civilized society we need to have proof that the dream was ours and we own it. Ha! We know the dreams are ours, but do “they”? Nor would a Merchant spend money to buy one or more dreams without evidence of proprietorship! Okay, those smart may get up in the middle of the night as soon as they had such dream and scribble it down. But was its meaning in the same context? Either way, once written down, it is not a dream anymore because what we have on paper is a literary thought that even copyrighted, is nothing else but a piece of creative writing. And the only one who may pay attention and do something with it is the literary agent, if at all! Certainly, not the real Merchant of Dreams! Unless, perhaps, he is associated with one’s psychologist and/or psychiatrist, priests, shamans, gurus, astrologists or even a psychic fortune teller in the business of assuring one they know how to interpret a dream for at least several dollars. Of course, perception comes into play on both sides. They for being an astute profiler, if at that, and we who are so mesmerized by the possibility of finding out those dreams’ meaning that we trust them like we may trust a sensible detective.
Funny how other creatures on this Earth do not think or do things like that! Well, maybe the loving pets that may warn one of a coming danger by pushing, pulling, leaking one’s face or squeaking and making whatever noises they’re capable of just to get their trusted friend or master, out of the harm’s way. Lacking a direct confrontation with a bona fide Merchant of Dreams, we resort many times to the ancient folkloric formula of starting a story, possibly stimulated by an interesting dream we had, by saying… “Once upon a time…” from whom point we can concoct just about any story as phantasmagoric it could be, so much so that some of them may give us nightmares… which is a category of queasy induced dreams out of ignorance, possibly a guilty feeling or conscience and fear. Those, of course, are for sale and, by priority, much faster. Anyone wants to hear or purchase any of my dreams? A temporary option shall do! You decide which kind, if vintage or fresh. Hence, once upon a time…!
Innuendos – Vol I
Editing: Ileana Matac Arco
Hollywood, California
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©by Ray Arco 7/11/2012 |
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