An Education in the Cave

author’s note:

Though I’m still pretty dim, recent dreams show me attending college.

So, at least I've graduated from high school.


AN EDUCATION IN THE CAVE

The wise one told me:

when the first gods found the first humans
fumbling around in fog
they decided to brighten the sun.

But to see the truth so suddenly
shocked the humans—
they ran into a cave to hide

then got lost deep inside that dark maze.

A hard life—
stumbling around without light.
But in time, people adjusted.
Incredible as it may seem
eventually, humans forgot they couldn’t see.

But oh—
sometimes we remember
when we collide with a stalactite
or get bitten by a bat

or worse yet
fall into a pit.

Oh yeah, I told the wise one
I’ve known the pain
of the collision—
the toothy sting—
the hard landing.
After so many severe reminders
I’ve devoted my life
to the struggle to see.

Ah yes, the wise one replied:
calamity can awaken
our desire for clarity.

But wise one, I asked
if you’re so bright
why can’t you guide me
out of this dim cavern?

My teacher then gave me
this last insight:

Before I found my light
I felt the same doubt you feel now
so I do what I can to help.
But alas, that’s limited.
The final irony is:

the only one who can lead you
to your light
is that wise one within.

Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams
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© 2024, Michael R. Patton

Welcome, Monstrosity

author’s note:

Courage…a daily requirement.


WELCOME, MONSTROSITY

While walking in the moonlight
through a snowy field
in a dream one night
I suddenly saw

the monolithic silhouette of a giant
standing in my path.

A star sparkled on the tip
of a spear aimed straight at my heart.

So I turned to run

and awoke in my soft bed.

Though relieved
I felt limp with loss—
I’d been told
we can only defeat
the shadowy threats of our dreams
by facing them head-on.

Hoping for solace
I confessed my failure
to the wise one

who then said:

as long as you remember
the shame you now feel
you’ll fight to overcome your weakness.

And so
after struggling many days
with the disgrace of my retreat
I felt such a lift
when the giant stood before me again—
I opened my arms and yelled:
welcome, monstrosity!

And actually felt disappointed
when the shadow vanished the next instant.

The field of snow shone in moonlight
but instead of continuing on the path
I followed the trail of a little chipmunk
into the dark woods nearby.

The next day I returned to the wise one
to crow of my success.

Yes, she said
better to face the shadows within
before we take on
the giant shadows of our world—

hard to win
when you’re waging war on two fronts.

mythsteps · Welcome Monstrosity

Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2024, Michael R. Patton

Not Evanescent

author’s note:

Another drop.


NOT EVANESCENT

Lao Tzu said
the Ancient Sages
were as evanescent
as icicles.

How can that be?—
according to the dictionary
“evanescent” means:
here one moment and gone the next.
But ages have passed
and the words of the sages still live.

I can’t expect the same good fortune
so as my icicle dwindles down
drop...by drop...by drop...by drop
I’m trying to come to terms with the loss
by repeating these lines to myself:

after I'm gone
whatever I’ve given
(whatever that may be)
will remain in our well—
perhaps hidden underground
but there, nonetheless.

mythsteps · Not Evanescent

Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2024, Michael R. Patton

What the Sled Dog Found

author's note:

When one dog barks, one hundred dogs bark.
               — old Chinese proverb


WHAT THE SLED DOG FOUND

The sled dog
woke in the starry arctic night
with the strange sense
that somewhere out there in the darkness
a secret world waited to be discovered—
a reality as yet unknown.

So while her minders slept
she wandered away from the team
knowing she’d never return.

Searching for a fantasy, perhaps
but
considering the stress and rush
of her daily routine
perhaps not such a foolish act.

A season has passed since then
and she still hasn’t found
the trail to that mystery world.
And so her ache has only grown:

a pain of desire—
a desire she has tracked
down
and down
to new depths in the heart.

The feeling demands expression.
So every evening she sits down
and begins to howl
from deep deep down.

Recently, on a new moon night
a mad wind carried her howl
to a snow dog faraway
stirring him from his slumbers.

The feeling in the sound roused
a feeling deep within him
and so he also begin to howl
from deep deep down.

The start of a chain reaction, it seems:

since then one dog after another
has been perked by some version of the howl
and by responding
each has discovered a truth
deep deep down—
the desire for a life greater, grander
than the one they know now.

The sled dog may never find
that new world.  But
what she uncovers in her search
will awaken new life
in this old dog world.

mythsteps · What the Sled Dog Found

Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2024, Michael R. Patton