Growth
author’s note:
A poem of encouragement for these dire times…
…but not a poem of false hope.
GROWTH
Years ago in a dream
I collapsed by a creek
and in the sliding water saw
squiggles of my gray hair
drifting away
leaving me
with a bald pink scalp
which suddenly sprouted
a cover of baby fuzz.
Shocked, I awoke--
afraid for myself
but then I realized
I’d witnessed a rebirth!
Thus encouraged
I continued my work of change
with renewed enthusiasm.
But though I’ve toiled for years since
I see little gain--
I’m still so far from
the one I hope to become:
the calm wise lion
with flowing golden mane--
no,
I’m still too much the cub
spun by sudden storms of emotion.
However
I was heartened recently
by another dream:
a woman on the path
lowered her bucket so I could see
a watery reflection:
above my blank confused face
a standing field of wild hair
shimmied in the wind--
the stalks pale-yellow, but
I did detect a richer shade
peeking out at the roots.
So apparently
despite my flaws
I’m able to grow gold.
But of course--
look at all the gold
spun by our flawed world.
© 2020, Michael R. Patton
poet, heal thyself: ebook
Labels: change, creativity, dream, dreaming, emotion, gold, growth, hair, hope, mirror, new age, peace, poetry, spirituality, spoken word, transformation