Jacket of Dreams

A poem by Achuthan Panikath

Tue Mar 31 2026

When you flew to a freezing den with bold hope
As a man with a dream and a plan to survive
You were met misfortune as cold as the winds;
You grit through it all with that jacket from home.

When wars broke out right outside of your gates
As your roommate went wild with poisons of choice
Your shields of morality weathered with time
And you hurt yourself at the sight of that crack.

When bills lay to waste all those hours of sweat
And the bitches with dime got the first spots in line
You took to the books to salvage lost time
And give all your blood to the ink for the scroll.

When voices of home last reached out to you
You put on a lie to calm their truths
You rallied your wits to lobby your heart
And convince self first of what’s real and what’s not.

My brother, your jacket can never give heat
It simply keeps warm the heat that you birth.
Your dreams may die but don’t you dare care,
The dreamer that birthed those dreams are still there.

As long as we hundred love you so strong
Feel free to stand tall and dream all you want.