Monday I dreamt of a stone,
its color like that of skin paled by nausea,
and to touch it would burn,
like the stinging sensation in your throat
When you are trying not to cry.
It spoke to me.
Unable to make its words out,
But somehow I heard rain, 
pattering against a window 
on a cool autumn day.

Then on Tuesday,
stones the color of hand-me-down jeans
sat in a pile in front of me.
But they could not stay in place. 
Every crash as they tumbled down
rang like powerful waves,
crashing against the rocky shore.
They even smelt like the fresh ocean breeze.

Wednesday brought a gemstone.
Its stunning chatoyant appearance a dense forest,
filled with foliage and fauna.
Its earthy odor like the one
escaping the soil after it rains.
I couldn’t help but trace the veins
running along its surface,
like those on a newly dropped leaf.

Thursday brought no dream,
but a nightmare.
A gargantuan boulder, looming over me 
Like the shadows did as I slept. 
It did not speak, instead, 
it brought a deafening silence,
like the kind after a haunting confession.
Then I felt its embrace,
So cold,
Too cold.

On Friday came the rocks,
color like rosy cheeks being bitten by crisp winter air.
They were so comforting.
The sound as they clicked together like the crackles
of a bonfire on a cool summer night.
They were so warm.
Their embrace like the warmth that erupts in your chest
when they hold you.

But come Saturday,
No relief could be found 
in the intricate designs of the 
granite countertop-like rocks.
Every speckle whispered something different,
like a crowded hallway buzzing with activity,
jumbled conversations working together
all to overwhelm your senses.  
Just to be in their presence,
you could taste their grittiness,
like ground coffee beans.

The last I dreamt of any stone
was on Sunday.
Piles and piles of yellow,
easily mistakable for stockpiled easter candy,
Circled me.
Smell so fresh,
like laundry right out of the dryer,
odor clean like its detergent.
I expected blandness and resistance,
not a taste like warm and buttery popcorn, 
when I easily stole a bite.