An upper window and a swaying tree

I dreamed my father was still alive. He was living in a low-rise apartment building across the tracks from his old shop near the Meadowlands. It was twilight, and I didn't know where he was. He had separated from my mother in the dream world, unlike in the waking world, where only the shadow of death could separate them. I walked hurried across the railroad tracks in the darkening and up a little hill, and looked up: there he was in a corner window on the building's top floor, doing the dishes and looking out. I hollered up to him, and he smiled, and disappeared from sight.

The light went on in a storefront on the ground floor of the building, which seemed to consist of nothing but old, misshapen furniture covered in plastic. My dad let me into the storefront. I had to stoop and began following him to the stairs. I had heard from my mother that he was not doing well, mentally, but he seemed okay. I had many questions, but forgot them all as we began to ascend.

*

I dreamed I was climbing a large tree with many massive limbs stretching out in all directions above what seemed to be a construction site. I was hugging on to a huge branch that swayed in the breeze. It seemed like a storm was coming. There were workers or students on the various parts of the tree with me—kids, it seemeed. Everyone was talking. I wanted to leap off and get back down to the ground, where my family was waiting for me, but I had to wait until the limb got close enough to a nearby building in order to make the jump safely.