The last few nights I’ve had a recurring dream. There I am, ready to play football again, but I can’t find my helmet. I’m with all my high school friends and we’re in our high school clothes, but we’re our current age — at least the age of the last time I’d seen any of them. Everyone is ready to play, except me, because, again, I can’t find my helmet. I left it in my apartment. No. I left it in my house. No. I left it in my parents’ house. No. Where am I now? On the field without a helmet, getting knocked around, missing tackles, getting flagged for holding. I guess we gotta be careful with the attics of our minds. Shake the dust enough and who knows what you’ll unlock.
Dougie Poole is a cool artist from Brooklyn who makes music I’d consider timeless. It’s a cosmic blend of upbeat country and everday malaise. He’s signed to Wharf Cat Records and he’s got a new album out later this week called The Rainbow Wheel of Death. I haven’t heard it yet, but I know it’ll be perfect. The singles he’s released are casually heartbreaking, tapping that universal feeling of longing for… something… Or whatever. Sometimes I have to remind myself to not put too much meaning on things.
I’ve been listening to “High School Gym” and “Beth David Cemetery” on repeat over the last few weeks, two songs about seeing old friends and family in dreams or at funerals. Take a bus. Walk through your past. Who knows what will happen? Maybe this is why I keep dreaming about playing football.
I used to have a similar reoccurring dream but for me it was more focused on the fact that I was an out of shape adult who smoked and I had to explain my condition to my coach when I showed up for practice. Maybe a bit trauma there. 😂