:: Farrel in Wonderland

Alice and the White Rabbit

If you've ever seen the episode of Friends where Monica and Rachel gamble their apartment away thanks to a personal trivia game against Joey and Chandler, you might remember when Ross, acting as emcee, quizzes them on which movie Rachel claims is her favorite (Dangerous Liaisons) versus what actually is (Weekend at Bernie's). I am here to admit to you that I, too, am guilty of "Favorite Movie Fraud". Don't get me wrong...My cult love for Boondock Saints and Wedding Crashers knows no bounds. But I have an inability (and admitted unwillingness) to let go of the 1951 Disney version of Alice in Wonderland as my number one favorite movie of all time. Hence my Halloween costume for the last, I don't know, five years.

So, in knowing and embracing this somewhat shameful addiction of mine, the lovely Sydney gave me the picture above as a Christmas gift this year. And I luh-huh-huv it. Not only do I obviously like it because of the story, but also because I have an affinity for turning vintage things into DIY projects for my house. So I've decided to make a matted frame and post the picture, along with a favorite poem of mine that I wrote about 4 years ago, on the wall of my new house in Fort Worth. I can't wait to have the time to start on it!

So anyway, upon digging said poem out of a bedroom drawer, I decided I want to share it with y'all. I can't really explain where it came from...I've always enjoyed writing, but poetry has never been my strong suit. This particular poem however has stuck with me for years. Maybe because by reading it, I can still feel everything it describes as if it happened yesterday. Maybe because it reminds me so much of my beloved childhood favorite. Who knows? Who cares? I'm proud of it and I want to hear what y'all think :) So. Here we go.

Slowly sinking...Failing to rise...

Truth set free in my blind eyes.

Unable to move...Barely thinking...

Into make-believe I find myself shrinking.

Still life took flight and time slowed to a halt,

All reality sealed in an eight-hour vault.

Five senses heightened, one before now untapped;

Behind transparent walls I find myself trapped.

I tasted the cracker and met the Mad Hatter

As I watched the Wonderland I knew being shattered.

While Beelzebub poured me a glass of red wine,

I met the Father and he kept me alive

And as unlikely angels guided my path,

My inner turmoil lashed out its wrath.

Then poison released, I am once again brave...

I love what I am and it's perfection I crave.

Colors are flavors, not shades as I'd learned

And as each second passes, another is earned.

Everything what it isn't and nothing as it seems...

Fairy tales and fantasies only brought to life in dreams.

To be better is worse and to have less, so much more...

All of this imagined in my dream I was awake for.