Why I Love the Penguin

author’s note:

To all the penguins out there.


WHY I LOVE THE PENGUIN

Why did I respond so strongly
to that penguin video?

Why did I nearly cry
when I saw that little fellow waddle
over the white Antarctic ice?

And why did I sigh
when the bird plonked
into the chop of the sea
then glided
in intelligent undulations
down and down
through deeper shades of blue?
It flew through the water
on wings that before seemed useless.

Maybe in that waddler
I saw how I usually am in the world.
And maybe in that sleek swimmer
I saw my secret desire.

When I go below the surface
I feel the grace within.
A quiet intensity that defies expression
so for the purposes of this poem
I will call it “soul”

knowing that those who read poets
will understand
what I mean when I say:
I feel more grace, more soul
the deeper I go.

But I’ve never been able
to go deep enough
to know pure grace, pure soul.

Like the penguin
I’m only able to stay under a short time
then I must emerge
to waddle around on the ice once more.

I enjoyed the penguin before—
it looked so cute in its tuxedo.
But now I love the penguin
having witnessed
its deep desire for soul.

mythsteps · why I love the penguin

Listening to Silence: poetry book
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© 2025, Michael R. Patton

Signs of Higher Life

author’s note:

Did this event actually happen?

Yes.  Maybe times.  In different ways.


SIGNS OF HIGHER LIFE

As I wait to cross the blaring street
in the glare of a summer’s day
I feel the urge to elevate above
the dull feeling of the mundane.

So I search for signs of higher life—

maybe someone
in this swarming sweating crowd
shines with the beatific beauty
that comes from within.

But in so many faces I find walls.

The same wall I see in my own face
when I spot my image
on the lens of someone’s sunglasses.

Maybe I built that wall to hide
how I struggle to deal
with all the stuff
this life stuffs into our lives.

Suddenly I feel compassion
for all those people
who like me, struggle behind walls.

Overwhelmed
by that wave of emotion
I lower my head
and prop myself against a lamp post.

In the next moment
someone asks me:
Are you alright?

A show of empathy.
A wall has fallen.
For a moment, at least.

Thanks.  Don’t worry—I’m quite alright.
I answer.

Encouraged
by the concern of a stranger
then I walk on.

Though my wall only fell
for a moment
in that moment
I found the beauty
of two human spirits
and got the lift I needed
on a glaring summer’s day.

mythsteps · signs of higher life

Survival: poetry book
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© 2025, Michael R. Patton

Loving All I See

author’s note:

Even if we’re not with someone this Valentine’s Day, we can still express our love.


LOVING ALL I SEE

Some whispering people believe
I’ve fallen in love with myself
because I keep staring into the stream.

But no—
I want to see the reflection
of the limbs and leaves
with the wide blue sky beyond
where a lone bird drifts.

Yes, I could see the same
if I raised my head
but this way
I also see the shadow fish
darting beneath the surface
and a bed of stones worn smooth
where a crawfish scuttles backwards.

I love the leaves and sky and gliding bird
and the water and fish and those smooth stones.
And especially the scuttling crawfish.

And when I see my rippling face among them
I remember:
I am part of the nature I love.
So I should be fair
and love the lover as well.

mythsteps · Loving All I See

finding Beauty: poetry book
dream steps blog
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© 2025, Michael R. Patton

When I Went for My Waterfall Blessing, I Found a Divine Dog

author’s note:

“What a feeling!”
        — Irene Cara, “Flashdance…What a feeling”


WHEN I WENT FOR MY WATERFALL BLESSING, I FOUND A DIVINE DOG

PART I

Today I went to visit the waterfall

as I do whenever
the mud and dust
of my life in this world
just seems too much.

When I stand beneath
the water rushing down
I imagine a blessing descending
on my bowed head—
cleansing me.
So when I emerge
I feel clear again
and for a moment
again feel the purity of my spirit.

But I believe we’re all
pure in spirit.
I need that belief
in order to accept
all the mud and dust
of our life in this world.

PART II

But when I arrived
at the end of the forest trail
I found a dog playing in the pool
beneath the waterfall.

Possessed by a dance, it was—
leaping up
trailing beads of spray
then landing down
in a winged splash—
a joyful rebellion against gravity—
a joyful acceptance of defeat—
spray
and splash
spray
and splash—
ecstasy.

But I’d come there for a blessing

so I waded around the canine
and stepped into the curtain
and let the full force of the fall
pound my head relentlessly.
The water cold but hot in its intensity.

Soon overwhelmed by sensation
I lost every dull thought in my head.

But when I stepped back out I saw
the dog had stopped its revelry.
Standing still, it stared at me—
head tilted to the side. Puzzled
by my trembling solemnity.

I didn’t want to ruin the dog’s frolic
by causing it concern
so I then began my own splash dance.
Which broke the spell—
in an instant the creature joined me.
We jumped up and down
and barked and laughed
and my feeling of purity
meshed with a feeling of joy.

Again I was the child I once was—
the one who’d rebel
against the mud and dust of his world
by going into a ritual
with just one rule:
dance—dance—dance
dance like a divine dog.

mythsteps · when I went for my waterfall blessing I found a divine dog

Myth Steps: poetry book
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© 2024, Michael R. Patton