Cats and Dreams

I sit on the couch across from my mother as she takes a seat on her favorite green mushroom stool, setting up my IPod to record and handing her a copy of, "Don't Go Back to Sleep" by Rumi.
"You can make comments on it while you read, you know." I say, a bit nervous with how this will all end up, with her being so quiet. The woman merely nods in response and keeps reading the poem, soon setting it down and looking at me expectantly.

"What did you think?" I ask, still unsure on what to really ask.

"Looks like it's about dreams." My mom replies quietly, folding her hands in her lap.

"So.. Uhm..." I hesitate, trying to think of a question, "What do you... Like.. about it?"
River, our rather large cat walks over and meows for attention, beginning to pace around the couch I'm sitting on as she contemplates jumping up. I can't help but say her name and scratch her ears softly, causing the calico manatee to purr happily.

My mother smiles at the cat and thinks a moment, "... I especially like the line, 'People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch.'" 

"Yeah, I like that one too, it's cool" I say, "River! Make up your mind, cat." I tell the fat cat, who doesn't make up her mind and keeps looking at me.

"It's very simple but it says everything it needs to say." Her voice gets quieter, if that is humanly possible and I nod, "Even though it says the same little phrase three times, it's not tedious or anything. It keeps it... It's more avocative."

I nod once more before I reply, River beginning to meow more often, "It reminds you of the theme of the poem, and- River!" I stop, looking at the cat as if to will her into not meowing, "Okay, um. Hm."

"Did I mess it up?" My mom smiles and laughs at my pause, her eyes just barely crinkling at the edges.

"No, I'm trying to think of something to ask." I say, still perplexed, "Ah... Anything that you could think of from... What you pulled of from, like, the meaning? What you possibly think could.. Be going down? River!" I add in surprise, as the cat in question jumps up next to me and almost crushes my IPod. 

"It seems like it would have something more to it than just dreams, it also seems like it could be, uh... People being asleep in their daily life, and not being aware. Like going back to sleep is... It's becoming unaware again, like you found something out and if you deny it and don't say anything about it, then you're going back to sleep." She says, looking fondly at the fluff ball that is the cat.

"Mmhm," I make a sound of agreement, "yeah, I can see that. Do you think the door being round and open has anything, like, any deeper-"
 
"It sounds like the world to me." My mom shifts in her seat.

"And, people going back and forth across the doorsill could be people going between the dreaming world and the real world? Beginning to get out of touch with reality?" I ask, once more moving the IPod away from the cat before she steps on it.

"Or they're just.. Lost, in their everyday life and are unable to see past the end of their own nose, and just can't be empathetic towards other people." She then smiles apologetically, "I'm afraid that's really all I can give you, I need to go get your brother up from his nap."

"No, you were fine, thank you!" I say, grinning until a fat cat walks on my legs, "Ow, River!"