The Fable of the Man Who Opened His Eyes

author’s note:

I know gravity is necessary.  But some days, there’s just too much.


THE FABLE OF THE MAN WHO OPENED HIS EYES

I once felt so jealous of astronauts--
I should be the one
walking on the Moon!

I wanted to hop from planet
to planet
and soar through
the vast mysterious spaces
of the Universe.

Books and TV programs
instead of satisfying
only stoked my desire.

Blake said:
see a world in a grain of sand.
And yes--once or twice
I was able to see as he saw
however
I would’ve preferred
to have found that grain
in a ring of Saturn.

Finally
to ease my frustration
I shut the door to my room
--I shut my eyes--
and sank into a semi-sleep.

But instead of landing softly
on a bottom cushion
I started to discover worlds
in a universe ever expanding:

even the small debris
--the specks of sand--
contained so much information.

So strange it all seemed--
so wonderfully alien
and yet that menagerie
lived within me.

Years later, and I still
haven’t reached the end
of the bit of human universe
granted to me.
Have my inner voyages
diminished the urge
to dance on planets?

Well, I must admit
I still long to visit Saturn

but if asked to pick
I guess I’d still choose
to know my own space.

Common Courage: poetry ebook
© 2021, Michael R. Patton