Original poem reprinted online here: "Empire of Dreams" by Charles Simic Originally read: October 29, 2013 More information about the Poet: Charles Simic Another dream sequence type of poem, but this one has different implications. Yes, in a dream, everything is possible, but in an empire of dreams, what is the structure? The conceit is stated in the beginning, "On the first page of my dreambook" and so this isn't only about dreams, this is what the speaker experiences after the dream -- waking up and recording a dream. The conceit is a dream empire looked back upon. "It's always evening / In an occupied country." Heavy language here, but this is a dream landscape where the word "occupied" could mean various things. Sure occupied could have that militaristic sense, but who is really there -- only the speaker. Hour before the curfew. A small provincial town. The houses all dark. ...
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