Our Dream of Fog and Sun

author’s note:

Is this poem based on an actual dream?

Its truth is based on many many dreams.


OUR DREAM OF FOG AND SUN

At the beginning of the dream
I saw
the golden tip of a rising sun

but suddenly fog swarmed in
and I began to struggle
to find a way through
that messy mass of cloud—
hoping for another shot of brightness.

Twice, the gray fabric thinned
and I glimpsed the brilliant circle
of the sun god through the gauze

but soon—too soon—the clouds crowded in again.

When I awoke
the message seemed obvious:

At birth my clear eyes
could see the sun
but the fog of this world
quickly dimmed my sight.

And though I’ve struggled hard
to defog my head
the haze remains quite thick

except for those blessed moments
when I’m able to part the clouds long enough
to see the sun again.

Those splendid breaks
help keep me strong in the battle.

I now realize:
though I may never achieve
clear victory
as long as I continue to fight
I will never be defeated.

I say:
my dream expresses a predicament
faced by anyone born human.

Maybe we can never regain
what we lost at birth
but if we struggle
to cut through the fog
we’ll occasionally realize our truth.

And the light we find then
will stay with us
all the way to the end.

How Can I Live In This World?: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2025, Michael R. Patton

At Twilight I Become a Dog

author’s note:

To all the twilight lovers out there.


AT TWILIGHT I BECOME A DOG

This evening walking home from the woods
a wandering dog spoke me with its eyes
saying:
Like so many humans, you seem to love twilight.
Why?

After a moment of reflection
I arrived at this explanation:

“As the sunlight evaporates
 and darkness filters in

“as trees shade into silhouettes
 and the distance grows obscure

“the familiar becomes unfamiliar
 and suddenly
 I’m not so sure of my steps.

“So to compensate
 I open my eyes and ears
 and in that state
 of heightened sensitivity
 I again sense
 the strangeness of this place I inhabit

“and again realize
 our mundane world
 is always infused
 with a world unseen.
 Or rather:
 the two are always one.

“Ironic, yes—
 in my unease
 I experience wonder again.”

At the end of this spiel
the dog wagged its tail
and said with a grin:

You have good instincts, my friend.
Maybe someday
you’ll be brave enough
to hear and see and feel
as dogs do all day long.

How Can I Live In This World?: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2025, Michael R. Patton

The Leaping Deer Sings Like a Howling Dog

author’s note:

“I praise what is truly alive,
 what longs to be burned to death.”
               – Goethe


THE LEAPING DEER SINGS LIKE A HOWLING DOG

When I was young I ran
hoping to lose that menacing shadow
nipping at my heels.

But one day a wise man told me:
you can only save yourself
by taking a long look
at what you’re running from.

So I took a long thoughtful look
and saw:
what a waste to try to escape myself.

Nonetheless
I kept on running
because

the blur of movement
felt so exhilarating
and my fire burned hotter the harder
I ran
and the heat felt the way I thought
life was supposed to feel.

However, in time
the flame died from exhaustion
and I had to lie down in the soft ashes.

But used the time to take
another long look—

because by then I realized:
once seen
a demon can be flipped
onto its angel side.

But as soon as my fire revived
I began to run again.
I ran I ran I ran
in mind, body, and spirit.

Years later
I’m still running.
Yes, the pace has slowed
but with age
I value each leaping step more

and so my exhilaration
has deepened into joy.

I’ve also learned to lie down
before I’m forced
and in those moments of stillness
I not only look down into that deep shadow
I also listen—
I listen, because I can’t always see.

And when I rise
I do what humans do
after they’ve heard the dark river:
I give words to the melody.

With those words
I sing our song as I run along.
And because the child in me
thrives on delight
I imagine I’m a leaping deer singing—
singing like a moon-eyed howling dog.

How Can I Live In This World?: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2025, Michael R. Patton

My Irrefutable Analogy

author’s note:

I use that last line on myself all the time.


MY IRREFUTABLE ANALOGY

Recently, a friend complained
his little life seemed so pale.

So I told him
what I sometimes tell myself
when I’m feeling
bland and inconsequential:

“Inside this tent lives a circus.

“In the center ring
  I stand as a lion tamer
  marshalling
  roaring forces within.

“At the same time
  I swing back and forth
  —back and forth—
  while hanging upside down.

“And though this motion blurs my vision
  through strength of mind I manage
  to transform what I see into solid pictures.

“What’s more—
  I walk a tightrope thin as barb wire.
  And before you accuse me of hyperbole
  remember how often I’ve fallen.

“Yes, a net has always caught me in the past
  but what about the future?
  What about the next step?

“Stressful, yes, nonetheless
  this painted smile stays on my face.

“I tell you I am a circus!

“And when you consider
  all your inner activities
  I think you’ll agree:
  you are a circus as well.”

I could see
my irrefutable analogy
had awakened my friend
to the amazing life within his life.

But in that moment
he also became acutely aware
of the precariousness
of his existence.

So to embolden him
I then said:

“Think of all the people
  who live each day knowing full well
  a sudden slip
  could mean death
  yet they still step forth.

“If they can, we can, can’t we?”

Common Courage: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2025, Michael R. Patton