art of the deal (monotype by Nicole Frazer)

by

Joyce Lynn

Sick and dying children; a 23-month-old child, her arms wrapped around her Salvadorian father, drowned crossing the Rio Grande; thousands of children ripped from the arms of their parents; children warehoused in cages; young boys and girls in the care of predatory guards.

Internal government documents, media investigations, congressional delegations, even video of a vice presidential visit–all tell the same horrific story of the United States government abusing  children and others fleeing danger in their home countries and seeking safety and asylum at the southern border of the US. As new stories of malfeasance are revealed daily, it is easy to forget reports of squalor and chaos even torture by the US have been in the news for nearly a year.

Around that time, Ann R. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dreamt a dramatic scene (more like a nightmare) revealing the pathological personality of the man inflicting pain on thousands of immigrant children. Ann’s dream, April 3, 2018, occurred the night after she watched footage of the White House Easter Egg Roll.

Donald Trump, wife Melania, and someone dressed as a bunny Trump called “Gary” or “Barry” appeared on the White House balcony. Ann recalls Trump bragged about US military prowess  and the booming economy to the throng of children and parents and reporters gathered on the lawn. Then, he continued his inappropriate ramblings, this time about undocumented children and young adults, who came to the United States before the age of 16. At the time, Trump had rescinded expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and was bargaining with Democrats to restore or modify the program.

ANN’S DREAM

“My husband and I were invited to an event to honor a young child–a christening or special birthday. It was a seated dinner. As we approached the room, we realized Trump was at the head table. It was elevated above the only other table in a t-arrangement.  Both tables were covered in plain white cloths. There was nothing on either table–no dinnerware, flowers, food, or drink–nothing festive.

“The only people in the room were Donald Trump and the parents of the child. They were seated at the lower table.  When we saw Trump was speaking–in fact, about to offer a prayer–we turned to leave not wanting to be part of this. Trump called to us to come back because he was about to pray for the child. He said if we didn’t stay, he wouldn’t pray, and we would be responsible for all the bad things that would happen to the child.

“So we went back and sat down opposite the parents. I did not know them, but they looked confused. Then Trump started to pray. I don’t remember what he said, but it was rambling and I remember thinking it was inappropriate.

“Then he stood behind the parents, looming over them and reaching over the mother’s shoulder to place two gold coins on the table. Then, the prayer became an attempt to make a deal with God. The deal was not on behalf of the child; rather Trump was telling God that if (God) didn’t do what Trump wanted, (Trump) would see that the parents and their child would pay for it.

“Then I woke up. Thank goodness!”

FORESHADOWING

The chilling dream reveals the dark side of Trump’s psyche. He bargains with God in the sacred space of a house of worship. The dream dramatizes Trump’s “negotiating” tactic–blaming others for his toxic actions and inflicting pain on the vulnerable if he is denied his way.

The dream of Trump’s dealing with God reveals the hubris of the man. It was hubris that ended the rich reign of the biblical King Nebuchadnezzar. He descended into madness and became a grass-eating beast.

The t-shaped table in Ann’s dream is reminiscent of a cross; however, the head table is raised higher than the table where the family is celebrating the birth of a baby. In the musical “The King and I,” the monarch sings “No one’s head should be higher than mine.” The medieval divine right of kings is a political and religious doctrine, conferring the ruling royal with legitimacy and authority derived from God. But in America, the authority of a president flows from the Constitution and from the people.

Ann’s dream graphically conveys the narcissism propelling Trump to order inhumane policies. Narcissism is a characteristic of sociopaths. The effects of the psychopathology of Trump’s anti-social personality disorder are the physical and emotional pain he inflicts on thousands of children, parents, and citizens.

Trump’s “my way or the highway” bargaining modus operandi infects his job as chief executive — regardless of the issue. “If we don’t get what we want, I will shut down the government,” Trump declared when Congress refused to include $5.7 billion for the border wall in the December 2018 government funding bill. Trump refused to compromise, and he shut down the federal government for 35 days. More than 800,000 government employees as well as contractors and businesses suffered the financial consequences of the longest shutdown in history.

The cruelty Trump inflicts on children and families seeking asylum from violence in their Central American countries at the US-Mexican border riddles our consciousness. Ann’s dream warns us nothing and no one is sacred to Trump or immune from his malfeasance and vengeance — not even God.

The dream illumines the vulnerability of a solitary family enmeshed with a malignant force, but  by sharing her dream, Ann bears witness to the faux religiosity of Trump and his followers. Her dream lifts the veil of residual doubt about the man and reveals the truth of Trump’s cruel psyche. It remains for the populace and the politicians–citizens and legislators–fueled by the truthfulness of Ann’s dream and fact-based evidence to deter the man who wreaks havoc on newborns, the citizenry of his country, and the soul of a nation.

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Joyce Lynn is a journalist, writing about the power of dreams to guide our daily lives. She is the author of Dreams and the Wisdom Within available at www.JoyceLynn.com and www.Amazon.com/dp/0983439524. She curated the 2018 exhibition “The Political Power of Art and Dreams.” She looks to dreams, a journalist’s Inside Source, to report the news (Joyce@PlumDreams.com, www.PlumDreams.com)