i had a dream with you in it
(not that kind of dream...)
it was set in ancient greece
everyone was walking around in togas
we were all philosophers, but also the rabble of commoners
you were giving a symposium on consciousness
there were lots of people talking over each other, random pushing matches
somehow you got some order and were explaining some fine point
i raised my hand and asked some sort of silly question
people started jumping around wanting to interrupt
then you answered the question, and some other philosopher took a turn in the symposium
i looked around for an occult friend but didn't see her
i found some friends and had some wine
we left the symposium and went underground to our lair
(of course we had a lair)
it was like the paris catacombs, tunnels lined with bones
at the bottom was a sacrificial table
a friend said, "what do we do, the army's getting closer?"
there was some sort of vote
somehow (of course) i got helped up onto the table
"you know what to do amber"
there was a ceremony
i sleep and entered the dream within the dream
this part was beyond words but i'll try
it was infinite copies of me
above each version of me was a truer, more authentic one
below each version of me was a faker, more simulated one
the infinity went both ways, up and down
my realization is that things can't matter at one level and not matter a level above or below
things matter on every level or they don't matter on every level
proof by translational invariance
i woke up from the dream-within-a-dream
i tried to tell everyone my insight
i'm too late
the army had come and gone
i looked at my stomach
my toga was red with blood
the truer, more authentic me
the real me standing there
the faker, more simulated me
we were the same
and we were all bleeding out
that was the dream
not the dream i hoped for