A tired child falls asleep
She is welcomed by dreams of unicorns
A world where she's the princess
All the animals can speak
They tell her everything she wants to hear

A teenager at her computer falls into a deep sleep
Dreaming of pretty roses without thorns
Jewelry and the perfect dress
To go with the perfect boy and complete
Her fantasy for the dance this year

After all the animals went home
And the unicorns said goodbye
The princess awakens, not in her castle
But in the orphanage, all alone
"If only dreams were real" she said

The last song played at the dance
The boy stopped dancing with her
She awakes, not staring at the boy
But at all the insults on her Facebook wall
"If only dreams were real," she said

It's midnight when the mother drifts off
Back into the past where she's young again
Whispering secrets to her best friends
Talking about the cute boy down the street
Hoping he'd notice her first

An elderly woman falls asleep as soon as the lights turn off
She finds herself without any pain
Running through a meadow that never ends
Her long brown hair flowing in the summer heat
So happy she could burst

It's 7 am and the whispers fade into obnoxious beeps
The mother wakes up to go to work
She's married to the cute boy but they have unpaid bills
They work too hard to keep food on the table
"If only dreams were real," she said

The woman finds herself at shining gates
At the hospital a crying man holds her hand
Her long brown hair has been gray for years
She hasn't walked for five of them
A plug is pulled and her sleep never ends
"Sweet dreams," he said