A Good Dream

The King proclaimed it aloud
to commoners and the chosen alike:
dreaming is unnecessary.
He clarified further:
no one ever possessed
the right to dream.
Experts concurred.
The Constitution, they said,
contains no article,
no footnote,
granting permission for dreams.

Now on, dreaming shall be licensed.
Only the chosen may apply.
They must dream on command,
deliver the dream word for word
to the King,
then erase it from one’s memory.

Be warned --
a dream without the King
is a defect.
Every good dream
includes him.

All reported dreams shall be reviewed
by the King,
who alone will decide
which dreams are good for the people
and safe for the empire.