tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109324842024-03-28T09:45:12.760-05:00sky rope (subterranean rappel)poems & imagery by Michael R. Patton.Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.comBlogger396125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-75407869309242330822024-03-24T20:11:00.000-05:002024-03-24T20:11:00.242-05:00The Quiet Resurrection<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDw6DkRGZa1JRAWy95ovb4Ozryb0S5FUNu4gdAcFRSqYD7K-xUBoElERQxNuUjek_Qrpg0aoJhmGhxLwdCvhK-rjJI6PkOyy5HEqtVC00G0ZHtCn8TkrAN0Gt-O_3ogwnMDpEqHI_RWgaJextWxEfJnSWDaXdRW2b9ymZf7VohSOMOU8PAuVhN/s1600/beast%20reading%20275w%20no%20b%20-%20March%2031%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDw6DkRGZa1JRAWy95ovb4Ozryb0S5FUNu4gdAcFRSqYD7K-xUBoElERQxNuUjek_Qrpg0aoJhmGhxLwdCvhK-rjJI6PkOyy5HEqtVC00G0ZHtCn8TkrAN0Gt-O_3ogwnMDpEqHI_RWgaJextWxEfJnSWDaXdRW2b9ymZf7VohSOMOU8PAuVhN/s1600/beast%20reading%20275w%20no%20b%20-%20March%2031%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Robert Bly didn’t tell men to become wild men. He told us to feel what we feel.<br><br><br>
<b>THE QUIET RESURRECTION</b><br><br>
The first time he passed those woods<br>
on the way to school<br>
the sight of their dark depths<br>
caused a sudden thumping in his chest.<br><br>
As a storm began to roil inside him<br>
that boy of six then remembered<br>
the sci-fi movie he’d seen—<br>
<i>maybe a wild creature within <br>
was trying to take control of him.</i><br><br>
So he raced away<br>
and after that day<br>
lowered his head <br>
and crept with hesitant steps <br>
around the forest<br>
so as not to wake the beast.<br><br>
Unfortunately<br>
he begin to use that same caution<br>
wherever he went—<br>
<i>keep the monster down.</i><br>
That way of walking<br>
became a way of being.<br>
As a result<br>
by the time he’d reached adulthood <br>
his life felt drained of life. <br><br>
So he bought a book about<br>
“increasing your vitality”.<br>
But then felt confused when he read:<br>
<i>you must let the life hidden within you live.</i><br><br>
Okay, but how? <br>
How could he set free<br>
that unknown unlived life?<br><br>
He then recalled the dark forest<br>
he’d avoided as a boy.<br><br>
In his desperation he decided:<br>
maybe a little look would provoke<br>
those ashes in his belly.<br><br>
So on a quiet afternoon he finally approached <br>
those shadowy woods<br>
and crossed the border<br>
into the shifting twilight shade.<br><br>
As his heart began to thump<br>
he again became that boy—<br>
afraid some untamed force<br>
would rise up from within <br>
and take control of him—<br>
making him behave in ways <br>
that would wreck his world.<br><br>
But when the fantasy<br>
didn’t become reality<br>
he actually felt a bit disappointed.<br>
Better the ripping transformation<br>
than the drip drip drip of tedious attrition.<br><br>
Nonetheless<br>
through his act he did find life.<br><br>
After his expectations collapsed<br>
he was able to wander through<br>
that ordinary paradise<br>
with thoughtless ease<br>
and soon became entranced<br>
by the sound of soft rain tremoring the leaves.<br><br>
Only later at home <br>
did he notice that gently buzzing thrill<br>
running through him, body and spirit:<br><br>
the first sign <br>
he’d begun to resurrect<br>
the life he had buried<br>
down in his dusky dusty depths.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1768110354&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-quiet-resurrection" title="The Quiet Resurrection" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Quiet Resurrection</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996221">Glorious Tedious Transformation: poetry book</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-53649394825032483112024-03-17T20:11:00.008-05:002024-03-17T20:11:00.238-05:00Blessed Calamity<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoxBfjeklKSIr2qmPnb6VORU0mwKse_LJebiHjj7gFUx7dHmPYOeqFRB2gFTrYnkZ9jSmQ0wKTBT4erlw2uocJxsUHSVBeAxKReiar5XfBV38vC7SAQvR6kHRmQj7S5-dad17cHCznAYs3sZy8OYOK943zqD2abKsau3BLNLpb9_ULS7xerMi/s1600/rabbit%20late%20calamity%20280sq%20d%20gr%20b%20-%20March%203%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoxBfjeklKSIr2qmPnb6VORU0mwKse_LJebiHjj7gFUx7dHmPYOeqFRB2gFTrYnkZ9jSmQ0wKTBT4erlw2uocJxsUHSVBeAxKReiar5XfBV38vC7SAQvR6kHRmQj7S5-dad17cHCznAYs3sZy8OYOK943zqD2abKsau3BLNLpb9_ULS7xerMi/s1600/rabbit%20late%20calamity%20280sq%20d%20gr%20b%20-%20March%203%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Amazing that a fraidy cat like me has taken so many chances.<br><br><br>
<b>BLESSED CALAMITY</b><br><br>
Consider the blessings of calamity:<br><br>
For years<br>
I dashed here and there<br>
in a rabbit’s hurry<br>
refusing to listen<br>
to the voice saying “stop”.<br>
As a result<br>
I eventually tripped myself up.<br><br>
But the hard landing woke me<br>
to my blindness—<br>
I realized<br>
I’d raced to escape my anxiety.<br><br>
Before the fall<br>
I’d imagined myself to be<br>
a lucky soul<br>
protected by an umbrella <br>
held by the gods.<br>
But now I knew the secret:<br>
I’d always feared<br>
the sky might suddenly<br>
fall on my head.<br><br>
Good to finally see the truth.<br>
But I missed my false courage.<br>
Before, I’d felt too anxious to stop<br>
but now, I felt too anxious to step.<br><br>
Fortunately last week <br>
another blessed calamity came<br>
to put the spur to me:<br><br>
a star crashed and burned my backyard black.<br><br>
Having frozen my legs<br>
I nearly lost my toes in the blaze.<br>
No, we can’t avoid life’s hazards. <br>
<i>Okay okay,</i> I cried, <i>I’ll go forward.</i><br><br>
Someone much wiser than I once said:<br>
When the risk of necessary change <br>
seems unbearably scary<br>
consider the risk <br>
of letting your north star fall down in flames.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1764079710&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/blessed-calamity" title="Blessed Calamity" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Blessed Calamity</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HOL59X6">Common Courage: poetry ebook</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-6884514241403446102024-03-10T20:11:00.001-05:002024-03-10T20:11:00.125-05:00Opulence<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDZxwJRLpxKd1eRsdp7B2dNDxD_0IKH8_ZbZlmdZHmURwghDHEnDDOj3Wmq9mm8DjYZiAR8xxw0Gc_wcG_C0d6qSNvsqzEoGYPc7FGtT8aHJnpf5Q8agsSWk__sWI4c2dbWUQIbq5OlkiIyLfyv4xKl63slx72FYhYfofyQ82NHQUaoBCsbo5/s400/moss%20wall%20400w%202%20d%20gr%20b%20-%20Mar%2010%202024s.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDZxwJRLpxKd1eRsdp7B2dNDxD_0IKH8_ZbZlmdZHmURwghDHEnDDOj3Wmq9mm8DjYZiAR8xxw0Gc_wcG_C0d6qSNvsqzEoGYPc7FGtT8aHJnpf5Q8agsSWk__sWI4c2dbWUQIbq5OlkiIyLfyv4xKl63slx72FYhYfofyQ82NHQUaoBCsbo5/s320/moss%20wall%20400w%202%20d%20gr%20b%20-%20Mar%2010%202024s.JPG"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
It’s all true. Except for the line about lips ravishing a pig.<br><br><br>
<b>OPULENCE</b><br><br>
The haphazard search<br>
of my youth<br>
led me to many educational places<br>
including<br>
that verdant rolling campus<br>
I came to on a Sunday afternoon.<br><br>
There, atop a hill<br>
a band played on an electric stage<br>
while young folk sprawled all over the lawn<br>
in carefully-ripped designer jeans.<br>
Bottles passed from hand to hand.<br>
Lips ravished a pig roasted on a spit.<br><br>
I responded to the scene with this one word:<br><br>
“Opulence”<br><br>
and maybe because I’d walked all day<br>
or maybe because highs <br>
are indeed contagious<br>
I soon became thick dizzy sluggish<br>
and slumped to the ground.<br><br>
But despite my dimness<br>
as I lay there, I could sense<br>
a tired malaise<br>
pervading the festivities.<br>
What could be the cause?<br><br>
Why didn’t we shimmy with the breezy trees?<br>
Or flow with the glowing clouds?<br>
The big beat did not move us. <br><br>
As children, we’d loved<br>
the winking wings of butterflies.<br>
But now we only liked.<br><br>
Perhaps we’d let our life of abundance<br>
numb us.<br>
In just a short time we’d taken in so much.<br>
Too much. Much too much.<br><br>
Shocked awake by the thought<br>
I feared for my life.<br>
Fighting fatigue, I stood<br>
and wobbled back down the hill.<br><br>
Yes, I learned a lesson that day.<br>
Nonetheless<br>
in this land of excess<br>
I usually forget <br>
to savor life in small sips.<br><br>
But when I stop<br>
and actually feel what I touch<br>
hear what I hear<br>
see what I see<br>
and taste what I taste—<br><br>
when I become aware<br>
of what I’m taking in<br>
and in so doing, deepen<br>
my experience of life…<br><br>
I feel a little scared<br><br>
because then this world<br>
and myself in it<br>
seem so strange.<br><br>
At such moments<br>
I feel alive in body and spirit.<br>
And know true opulence.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1763373606&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/opulence" title="Opulence" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Opulence</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996256">finding Beauty: poetry book</a> <br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-14518665605112421692024-03-03T20:11:00.001-06:002024-03-03T20:11:00.130-06:00Fable of the Man Who Keeps Finding His Peace<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir28ucI9_oDq6D782dHrvi7hyphenhypheny5mSFAQmCfhMimbkKCBjpJpf4njTKmd_UMU3kdUYK3wRnfw3vcCUgPMYDX9OKUDYPZ1jAbY4z3iBYJh3Q0rh3HQyptKzOkqzRqagUiUhUoI_YBtT_MeDis9tKyRK4FDuGFa3zqAbopONyNZxhJtkvxUG3OhL/s400/peace%20before%20after%20400W%202%20bk%20b%20-%20March%203%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir28ucI9_oDq6D782dHrvi7hyphenhypheny5mSFAQmCfhMimbkKCBjpJpf4njTKmd_UMU3kdUYK3wRnfw3vcCUgPMYDX9OKUDYPZ1jAbY4z3iBYJh3Q0rh3HQyptKzOkqzRqagUiUhUoI_YBtT_MeDis9tKyRK4FDuGFa3zqAbopONyNZxhJtkvxUG3OhL/s320/peace%20before%20after%20400W%202%20bk%20b%20-%20March%203%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
True, true, all true.<br><br><br>
<b>FABLE OF THE MAN WHO KEEPS FINDING HIS PEACE</b><br><br>
Years ago<br>
disturbed by all the turbulence<br>
I decided I should do my part <br>
to calm our hurricane.<br><br>
But my little agitated wings<br>
only stirred the storm more.<br><br>
Finally I realized<br>
I could not help unless<br>
I found the peace <br>
the masters said resides within.<br><br>
So I sat down in a shelter<br>
and closed my eyes and ears <br>
to the storm outside<br><br>
only to find a storm inside.<br><br>
Had the wise ones lied to us?<br>
Where was that damn place of peace!<br>
In desperation, I continued<br><br>
and by working down through<br>
the blow of my noise<br>
I finally discovered<br>
the calm center promised.<br><br>
So when I resurfaced<br>
I felt especially pleased—<br>
especially proud<br>
and wanted to tell all<br>
about what I’d found.<br><br>
But what I’d found<br>
was soon lost<br>
when the disturbance<br>
began to disturb me again.<br><br>
The joy of progress<br>
followed by the pain of regression.<br>
Despairing, I delved once again.<br><br>
Thus began a pattern<br>
repeated many times since then:<br>
going within<br>
then going back out again.<br><br>
Back and forth. Down and up.<br>
The exercise often seems hopeless.<br>
But I persist, because<br>
to survive the weather outside<br>
I need the relief<br>
of my blessed moments of peace.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1762591338&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/fable-of-the-man-who-keeps-finding-his-peace" title="Fable of the Man Who Keeps Finding His Peace" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Fable of the Man Who Keeps Finding His Peace</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996302">Listening to Silence: poetry book</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-17151013529230524312024-03-01T20:11:00.001-06:002024-03-01T20:11:00.126-06:00Nightly News<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB2990wY7FgSDUO6zVDW5RX5FpF563iveVO3_TQndCXtl8gdW9Ls3V7i0oFUBMgeCCgpknzXjQfWqBOTlAAsJn_oDjSyvraIQnOZj7dMo74m4I1Lh4blMYYymYmg2adVUcmoZ_O8MVktRhUkPhn1oGbT08nclmP8hsdlJFQGagLwfZkCddDNw/s1600/nightly%20news%20mwp%20275w%202%20bk%20b%20-%20Feb%2029%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB2990wY7FgSDUO6zVDW5RX5FpF563iveVO3_TQndCXtl8gdW9Ls3V7i0oFUBMgeCCgpknzXjQfWqBOTlAAsJn_oDjSyvraIQnOZj7dMo74m4I1Lh4blMYYymYmg2adVUcmoZ_O8MVktRhUkPhn1oGbT08nclmP8hsdlJFQGagLwfZkCddDNw/s1600/nightly%20news%20mwp%20275w%202%20bk%20b%20-%20Feb%2029%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b><br><br>
A short poem…<br><br>
…that took me sixty-eight years to write.<br><br><br>
<b>NIGHTLY NEWS</b><br><br>
I am wounded. And so is this world:<br><br>
I hear my pain repeated on the nightly news.<br><br>
Whether those at the horn use cool reason<br>
or scold and threaten<br>
beneath their words I hear them plead:<br>
<i>How can we end all this wounding?<br>
How can we heal all these wounds?</i><br><br>
I believe we all mourn our failure:<br>
even those who celebrate<br>
the wounding they do—<br>
they bellow and sing <br>
to bury the cry of grief within.<br><br>
Sometimes I tire of trying<br>
to heal this wound—<br>
I ask myself:<br>
<i>Why not sleep until death wakes you?</i><br><br>
But then I hear the wounds of the world again<br>
weeping on the nightly news.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1761599163&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/nightly-news" title="Nightly News" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Nightly News</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996213">My War for Peace: poetry book</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-61236480729723409822024-02-28T20:11:00.008-06:002024-02-28T20:11:00.143-06:00An Education in the Cave<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LyohOmCkTrDLntpEdtI2YRWJeWcH0TjPAS7bPwIRVXQ4DCqO6LYANrkL9Zd0JSbQ3qhBrntRkBHRnyMjlgBuadIZJsMjoTCmMJYDTtDuqmUlvg6H_6k-UO421lwFmB5DDiChinyfM1N2-3OM2idccmllZi5mFHTR_4ERvF6JB_CYD9xlOaZN/s1600/head%20light%20cave%20250w%20no%20b%20-%20Feb%2028%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LyohOmCkTrDLntpEdtI2YRWJeWcH0TjPAS7bPwIRVXQ4DCqO6LYANrkL9Zd0JSbQ3qhBrntRkBHRnyMjlgBuadIZJsMjoTCmMJYDTtDuqmUlvg6H_6k-UO421lwFmB5DDiChinyfM1N2-3OM2idccmllZi5mFHTR_4ERvF6JB_CYD9xlOaZN/s1600/head%20light%20cave%20250w%20no%20b%20-%20Feb%2028%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Though I’m still pretty dim, recent dreams show me attending college.<br><br>
So, at least I've graduated from high school.<br><br><br>
<b>AN EDUCATION IN THE CAVE </b><br><br>
The wise one told me:<br><br>
when the first gods found the first humans <br>
fumbling around in fog<br>
they decided to brighten the sun.<br><br>
But to see the truth so suddenly<br>
shocked the humans—<br>
they ran into a cave to hide<br><br>
then got lost deep inside that dark maze.<br><br>
A hard life—<br>
stumbling around without light.<br>
But in time, people adjusted.<br>
Incredible as it may seem<br>
eventually, humans forgot they couldn’t see.<br><br>
But oh—<br>
sometimes we remember<br>
when we collide with a stalactite<br>
or get bitten by a bat<br><br>
or worse yet<br>
fall into a pit.<br><br>
<i>Oh yeah,</i> I told the wise one<br>
I’ve known the pain<br>
of the collision—<br>
the toothy sting—<br>
the hard landing.<br>
After so many severe reminders<br>
I’ve devoted my life <br>
to the struggle to see.<br><br>
<i>Ah yes,</i> the wise one replied:<br>
calamity can awaken<br>
our desire for clarity.<br><br>
But wise one, I asked<br>
if you’re so bright<br>
why can’t you guide me<br>
out of this dim cavern?<br><br>
My teacher then gave me<br>
this last insight:<br><br>
Before I found my light<br>
I felt the same doubt you feel now<br>
so I do what I can to help.<br>
But alas, that’s limited.<br>
The final irony is:<br><br>
the only one who can lead you <br>
to your light<br>
is that wise one within.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1760278590&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/education-in-the-cave" title="Education in the Cave" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Education in the Cave</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-91247671201780541412024-02-21T21:11:00.010-06:002024-02-21T21:11:00.189-06:00Welcome, Monstrosity<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_BMxyWAsxyR7YX-MxxOsfo3ExP800XSQTLIXRR0MYxsToiE2jTQ5Tr9d1MWOFuXmMZYml28iUNBX-sk0VmGiHuIU0wqJf04b4mb-I-8RaW6MxeI1jy8CGz6qTehAmSmmsvAK5AlWI4X5RobgSa5oy_l4SWSbLIPL12FdNERL3Iok43ImjFr4/s1600/chipmunk%20400w%20d%20br%20b%20-%20Feb%2018%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_BMxyWAsxyR7YX-MxxOsfo3ExP800XSQTLIXRR0MYxsToiE2jTQ5Tr9d1MWOFuXmMZYml28iUNBX-sk0VmGiHuIU0wqJf04b4mb-I-8RaW6MxeI1jy8CGz6qTehAmSmmsvAK5AlWI4X5RobgSa5oy_l4SWSbLIPL12FdNERL3Iok43ImjFr4/s1600/chipmunk%20400w%20d%20br%20b%20-%20Feb%2018%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Courage…a daily requirement.<br><br><br>
<b>WELCOME, MONSTROSITY</b><br><br>
While walking in the moonlight<br>
through a snowy field <br>
in a dream one night<br>
I suddenly saw<br><br>
the monolithic silhouette of a giant <br>
standing in my path.<br><br>
A star sparkled on the tip<br>
of a spear aimed straight at my heart.<br><br>
So I turned to run<br><br>
and awoke in my soft bed.<br><br>
Though relieved<br>
I felt limp with loss—<br>
I’d been told<br>
we can only defeat<br>
the shadowy threats of our dreams<br>
by facing them head-on.<br><br>
Hoping for solace<br>
I confessed my failure<br>
to the wise one<br><br>
who then said:<br><br>
as long as you remember<br>
the shame you now feel<br>
you’ll fight to overcome your weakness.<br><br>
And so<br>
after struggling many days <br>
with the disgrace of my retreat<br>
I felt such a lift<br>
when the giant stood before me again—<br>
I opened my arms and yelled:<br>
<i>welcome, monstrosity!</i><br><br>
And actually felt disappointed<br>
when the shadow vanished the next instant.<br><br>
The field of snow shone in moonlight<br>
but instead of continuing on the path<br>
I followed the trail of a little chipmunk<br>
into the dark woods nearby.<br><br>
The next day I returned to the wise one<br>
to crow of my success.<br><br>
Yes, she said<br>
better to face the shadows within<br>
before we take on <br>
the giant shadows of our world— <br><br>
hard to win <br>
when you’re waging war on two fronts.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1750672638&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/welcome-monstrosity" title="Welcome Monstrosity" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Welcome Monstrosity</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-66400935703544842462024-02-14T20:11:00.009-06:002024-02-14T20:11:00.134-06:00Not Evanescent<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59OrXYaWc2BzRR08dobICx-eScqlhvi45I6QCb0qHqCbNdvQ7_RVC0ypg0cwKlJvb0YFwUzw1JIZWiZ3rEC-AMy-JynNwwVZPRVUZQt3_Pc2yOiHNx8VR823dHPj7dowrFX6u9EeUkolUSD5sRffZYessYwZjFNLoxu85KsxeJfHITK3439Fk/s1600/water%20drop%20evanescent%20350sq%20d%20bl%20b%20-%20Feb%2014%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59OrXYaWc2BzRR08dobICx-eScqlhvi45I6QCb0qHqCbNdvQ7_RVC0ypg0cwKlJvb0YFwUzw1JIZWiZ3rEC-AMy-JynNwwVZPRVUZQt3_Pc2yOiHNx8VR823dHPj7dowrFX6u9EeUkolUSD5sRffZYessYwZjFNLoxu85KsxeJfHITK3439Fk/s1600/water%20drop%20evanescent%20350sq%20d%20bl%20b%20-%20Feb%2014%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Another drop.<br><br><br>
<b>NOT EVANESCENT</b><br><br>
Lao Tzu said <br>
the Ancient Sages<br>
were as evanescent<br>
as icicles.<br><br>
How can that be?—<br>
according to the dictionary <br>
“evanescent” means:<br>
<i>here one moment and gone the next.</i><br>
But ages have passed<br>
and the words of the sages still live.<br><br>
I can’t expect the same good fortune<br>
so as my icicle dwindles down<br>
drop...by drop...by drop...by drop<br>
I’m trying to come to terms with the loss<br>
by repeating these lines to myself:<br><br>
after I'm gone<br>
whatever I’ve given<br>
(whatever that may be) <br>
will remain in our well—<br>
perhaps hidden underground<br>
but there, nonetheless.<br><br>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-60608550306355064672024-02-07T20:11:00.010-06:002024-02-07T20:11:00.136-06:00What the Sled Dog Found<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-zU0FtCMhravHxoOZGr65VcfdcLDEV6Um6GFoTWtT_egTK2xTDcWwZZmI7uCPPWpFViSEG_Y_qCkOMey6ei6QuHi3h_0kE4FxNpi3Zj7ZXItA-tV5-1M91aASsv1EMZkFeDL9GDuv4ewwd20ClHnv8KEQeWkmGHOBGpWeK8jMK76nQTz4C4w/s699/dog%20whip%20sled%20500w%202%20bk%20b%20-%20Feb%207%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-zU0FtCMhravHxoOZGr65VcfdcLDEV6Um6GFoTWtT_egTK2xTDcWwZZmI7uCPPWpFViSEG_Y_qCkOMey6ei6QuHi3h_0kE4FxNpi3Zj7ZXItA-tV5-1M91aASsv1EMZkFeDL9GDuv4ewwd20ClHnv8KEQeWkmGHOBGpWeK8jMK76nQTz4C4w/s400/dog%20whip%20sled%20500w%202%20bk%20b%20-%20Feb%207%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author's note:</b> <br><br>
When one dog barks, one hundred dogs bark.<br>
— old Chinese proverb<br><br><br>
<b>WHAT THE SLED DOG FOUND</b><br><br>
The sled dog<br>
woke in the starry arctic night<br>
with the strange sense <br>
that somewhere out there in the darkness<br>
a secret world waited to be discovered—<br>
a reality as yet unknown.<br><br>
So while her minders slept<br>
she wandered away from the team<br>
knowing she’d never return.<br><br>
Searching for a fantasy, perhaps<br>
but<br>
considering the stress and rush<br>
of her daily routine<br>
perhaps not such a foolish act.<br><br>
A season has passed since then<br>
and she still hasn’t found<br>
the trail to that mystery world.<br>
And so her ache has only grown:<br><br>
a pain of desire—<br>
a desire she has tracked<br>
down<br>
and down<br>
to new depths in the heart.<br><br>
The feeling demands expression.<br>
So every evening she sits down<br>
and begins to howl<br>
from deep deep down.<br><br>
Recently, on a new moon night<br>
a mad wind carried her howl<br>
to a snow dog faraway<br>
stirring him from his slumbers.<br><br>
The feeling in the sound roused<br>
a feeling deep within him<br>
and so he also begin to howl<br>
from deep deep down.<br><br>
The start of a chain reaction, it seems:<br><br>
since then one dog after another <br>
has been perked by some version of the howl<br>
and by responding<br>
each has discovered a truth<br>
deep deep down—<br>
the desire for a life greater, grander<br>
than the one they know now.<br><br>
The sled dog may never find<br>
that new world. But <br>
what she uncovers in her search<br>
will awaken new life <br>
in this old dog world.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1738496199&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/what-the-sled-dog-found" title="What the Sled Dog Found" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">What the Sled Dog Found</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-47471844840347125392024-01-31T20:11:00.001-06:002024-01-31T20:11:00.237-06:00Symbiotic<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoDaRnApfZhyphenhypheneOA2Unjx_cOlQ_UtG_MN6_cAfRYJryjpjX03wIb4JTSbIFkmGc6YQbViK0s-SEcsoXGQY9fmPRkRzlMO2OqD084b8VQ3i3Q_qCixDF9TGQHqsGAWUUh7QFctu9JhI1BSl79l1JWm7YRQDoQb2wUDiEcaLrGa6AhcdUnae382R/s1600/mirror%20woman%20275sq%20words%20bk%20b%20-%20Jan%2031%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoDaRnApfZhyphenhypheneOA2Unjx_cOlQ_UtG_MN6_cAfRYJryjpjX03wIb4JTSbIFkmGc6YQbViK0s-SEcsoXGQY9fmPRkRzlMO2OqD084b8VQ3i3Q_qCixDF9TGQHqsGAWUUh7QFctu9JhI1BSl79l1JWm7YRQDoQb2wUDiEcaLrGa6AhcdUnae382R/s1600/mirror%20woman%20275sq%20words%20bk%20b%20-%20Jan%2031%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b><br><br>
I never lose my empathy. But sometimes I manage to ignore it.<br><br><br>
<b>SYMBIOTIC</b><br><br>
When you see me, you see my wounds<br>
then feel my wounds.<br><br>
then try to soothe my wounds.<br><br>
I know I’m the only one who can heal those wounds.<br>
I’m not done trying.<br>
But the long tedium of the work tires me.<br><br>
So I go to see you.<br><br>
This deep diver needs to breathe<br>
at least once week—needs<br>
the relaxing empathy of our Sundays. <br><br>
But I’d just stay home and watch the game<br>
if I didn’t know<br>
I soothe your deep wounds too. <br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1728491652&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/symbiotic" title="Symbiotic" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Symbiotic</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996264">Poet, Heal Thyself: poetry book</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
I’ve met two people who were once knocked unconscious.<br><br>
Both felt they benefited from the experience.<br><br><br>
<b>HOPE FOR THE FALLEN</b><br><br>
A wise one once said:<br>
the fire that flares up<br>
soon burns out.<br><br>
Was she talking about my nation?<br><br>
Maybe she was talking about the two of us.<br><br>
That wise one also said:<br>
those who don’t stop to look <br>
to see where they’re going <br>
soon fall and hit their heads.<br><br>
Was she talking about the two of us?<br><br>
Maybe she was talking about our nation.<br><br>
Or maybe<br>
she was talking about the other day<br>
when I tripped <br>
and landed hard on the hard ground.<br><br>
But as I regained my senses<br>
I suddenly remembered<br>
the night I feared I’d freeze<br><br>
but then found a small ember <br>
in a big pile of ashes<br>
and built a fire that lasted ’til morning.<br><br>
I may still be a fool <br>
but at least now I know<br>
not to give up hope.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1721348385&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/hope-for-the-fallen" title="Hope for the Fallen" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Hope for the Fallen</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-64275303803430316112024-01-17T20:11:00.001-06:002024-01-17T20:11:00.148-06:00Fable of the Woman Who Saved a Wounded Bird<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51SjCfcqJePS2WQHi74ErJBU433r2ILOeZZ7lyQ67plojmCAPnLdyb0ciRZM86YSiVfL8EwN7x2l_7-J9wpwxJnmLCyXTW4mrl0PF-7zRLrP9EBi8w56M3EQedGf_gU5O5ma4myjRxiFcUgxuE3w7cdZ-_jZ6YljCPE4U0ZdHaHmlO9mpb7_E/s1600/bird%20mirror%20point%20325w%20bk%20b%20-%20Jan%2012%202024s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51SjCfcqJePS2WQHi74ErJBU433r2ILOeZZ7lyQ67plojmCAPnLdyb0ciRZM86YSiVfL8EwN7x2l_7-J9wpwxJnmLCyXTW4mrl0PF-7zRLrP9EBi8w56M3EQedGf_gU5O5ma4myjRxiFcUgxuE3w7cdZ-_jZ6YljCPE4U0ZdHaHmlO9mpb7_E/s1600/bird%20mirror%20point%20325w%20bk%20b%20-%20Jan%2012%202024s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Physician, heal thyself.<br>
-- Luke 4:23<br><br><br>
<b>FABLE OF THE WOMAN WHO SAVED A WOUNDED BIRD</b><br><br>
Years ago, a young girl <br>
tried and failed<br>
to save a dying bird chick.<br><br>
A sincere effort.<br>
But what she didn’t know was:<br>
she saw herself in that bird.<br><br>
Later<br>
she decided to help save human beings<br>
by becoming a nurse.<br><br>
A sincere aspiration.<br>
But what she didn’t know was:<br>
in so many faces <br>
she saw that dying bird chick.<br><br>
Later <br>
after witnessing so much death<br>
she decided to help save human beings<br>
by ascending to the pulpit.<br><br>
A sincere aspiration.<br>
But what she didn’t know was:<br>
she now hoped to save <br>
that dying bird chick <br>
by saving its soul.<br><br>
Over the years, she received much praise<br>
for her work as a preacher and nurse.<br>
Nonetheless<br>
she still felt a vague malaise.<br><br>
Finally, in desperation<br>
she asked her mirror<br>
what the problem was<br><br>
and then<br>
in the reflection looking back<br>
she saw that dying bird chick.<br><br>
From that point on<br>
she became her own patient.<br>
From that point on<br>
she became her own flock.<br><br>
Later, she returned<br>
to the twin tasks of tending<br>
to the bodies and spirits <br>
of wounded human beings.<br><br>
But now her aspirational efforts <br>
produce even better results<br><br>
and though she doesn’t say<br>
she knows the reason why:<br><br>
People who want to open <br>
but don’t trust<br>
may open<br>
when they experience<br>
a server who lives in peace—<br><br>
someone who has saved<br>
her own bird chick.<br><br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1715662017&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/fable-of-the-woman-who-saved-a-wounded-bird" title="Fable of the Woman Who Saved a Wounded Bird" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Fable of the Woman Who Saved a Wounded Bird</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996264">Poet, Heal Thyself: poetry book</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
What if every day was Halloween?<br><br><br>
<b>CLOWN SKELETON </b><br><br>
While sneaking around backstage <br>
after class one afternoon<br>
I pulled a curtain in a dingy dusty storeroom<br>
and found a skeleton standing at a blackboard. <br>
No lower jaw, so no death grin.<br><br>
To calm my sudden shock <br>
I clapped a silly baseball cap on that bone head.<br><br>
I would mock the specter that mocks us.<br><br>
But then another idea came to me: <br>
I should confront my fear.<br>
I would confront the unknown <br>
by peering into those dark eye sockets.<br><br>
Maybe I’d sense the unseen <br>
the great mystery—<br>
the invisible realm.<br><br>
But no— <br>
though I stared into those empty pools<br>
until my eyes burned<br>
I felt only a dull negative:<br>
the absence of life.<br><br>
However<br>
my neck hairs did rise<br>
when I posed this question:<br><br>
might I likewise end up<br>
abandoned in a backroom?— <br>
a clown set of bones—<br>
just another blank line?<br><br>
Stunned by the thought<br>
I walked away from that encounter<br>
with the clock ticking in my head again<br>
but louder, louder this time—<br>
stirring a sense of urgency in me.<br><br>
I needed to fill that line<br>
with something…something<br>
that might last after my last breath.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1710173700&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/clown-skeleton" title="Clown Skeleton" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Clown Skeleton</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-39101953075735936622024-01-03T20:11:00.001-06:002024-01-03T20:11:00.145-06:00Child in a Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKpiQoBbRcH37ZFlAQPaagkz1vI3Z4WVu7B3nRqyoVlJZCuTikuocMvgwNfAdAzo6m_treMrM-JYLCd1sp9F3yC3ofEjOUAgoDAqxknXtcZEuvKYeKb-EPYk9CcKqPLdAY1AFZlNfj1UikdVazdWQ9ehXEqfqo5kgIhJybOyOfoC68S_Ap4yI/s1600/wasteland%20sunrise%20glorious%20325w%20pu%20b%20-%20Jan%203%202024sc.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKpiQoBbRcH37ZFlAQPaagkz1vI3Z4WVu7B3nRqyoVlJZCuTikuocMvgwNfAdAzo6m_treMrM-JYLCd1sp9F3yC3ofEjOUAgoDAqxknXtcZEuvKYeKb-EPYk9CcKqPLdAY1AFZlNfj1UikdVazdWQ9ehXEqfqo5kgIhJybOyOfoC68S_Ap4yI/s1600/wasteland%20sunrise%20glorious%20325w%20pu%20b%20-%20Jan%203%202024sc.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
I can see myself everywhere. If I’m willing to look.<br><br><br>
<b>CHILD IN A BOX</b><br><br>
While finding my way in an unknown town<br>
I spied a child <br>
sitting in a big cardboard box<br>
in the back of an abandoned lot.<br><br>
I wanted to pity him— <br><br>
his scratch of land seemed so desolate:<br><br>
Cold sun rays glinted hard<br>
off broken bottles.<br>
A ragged wind stuck paper scraps<br>
on the barbs of a barb-wire fence.<br><br>
But despite that scene<br>
the child wouldn't stop laughing.<br><br>
At what? Perhaps he enjoyed watching<br>
those two crows pick at a scatter of fries.<br><br>
But when he spotted me, he continued to laugh.<br><br>
What? Was I such a joke?<br>
Couldn’t he see how I grieved his plight?<br>
How could I empathize<br>
with him cackling in the wind that way?<br><br>
With that last question<br>
I suddenly realized<br>
I held this secret wish:<br><br>
I wanted to see a sad sight<br>
so I could release my sad sighs.<br>
I felt sorry for him, yes <br>
but I also felt sorry for myself.<br><br>
I was a child abandoned in an empty lot.<br><br>
But that barbed broken-bottle lot <br>
really wasn’t so empty, was it? <br>
And who had abandoned my child<br>
if not me?<br><br>
I then began to laugh along with that child—<br><br>
at the fool who would not let himself play <br>
in this wild sunny world of abundance.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1707412218&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/child-in-a-box" title="Child In A Box" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Child In A Box</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-45919026870165407912023-12-27T20:11:00.007-06:002024-01-08T08:01:44.247-06:00The Taming of the Terrific Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0fBvEA7YZd-q5ALvVsICysuUEcN7_B5xEa8hyphenhyphen1mPF-KA3f1sfjiHU4U4O_Ia_9fo-BpI-H4Poq7mqsdrBFb3K7kfGNgAnUBExHnSj0sAg_g2OY70aXjoIbncre5qvHr9hpxE12sxR9vG_2EAQgwrSW-g8ESBwUbY2mTQu6EbUKiEGykIa_Ob/s1600/fox%20ss%20375w%202%20or%20b%20-%20Dec%2027%202023s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0fBvEA7YZd-q5ALvVsICysuUEcN7_B5xEa8hyphenhyphen1mPF-KA3f1sfjiHU4U4O_Ia_9fo-BpI-H4Poq7mqsdrBFb3K7kfGNgAnUBExHnSj0sAg_g2OY70aXjoIbncre5qvHr9hpxE12sxR9vG_2EAQgwrSW-g8ESBwUbY2mTQu6EbUKiEGykIa_Ob/s1600/fox%20ss%20375w%202%20or%20b%20-%20Dec%2027%202023s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Artwork by Dr. Sal de Mar.<br><br><br>
<b>THE TAMING OF THE TERRIFIC TWO</b><br><br>
Looking for a righteous cause<br>
a modest couple adopted<br>
two wild-eyed orphans<br>
from the far-flung mountains<br>
of Tierra del Fuego. <br><br>
But the kids didn’t seem to appreciate<br>
that well-intentioned gift—<br>
the restraint of their new tidy home<br>
spurred them to a rebellion of storm.<br><br>
Those little inferno tornadoes <br>
spun through the rooms—<br>
whirling papers, overturning chairs,<br>
ripping through curtains and couch cushions.<br><br>
But the patient parents persisted in their discipline—<br>
telling the terrific two:<br>
in order to function in this world<br>
you must learn to sit still<br>
for more than the length of a sneeze.<br><br>
And indeed, the kids eventually did<br>
out of respect. But <br>
were only able to tolerate the harness<br>
because they still danced in their hearts<br>
to the song of the del Fuego blaze<br>
playing in their heads.<br><br>
Fortunately as adults<br>
they’ve found ways to express their fire<br>
within the lines of lawful conduct:<br><br>
we see them lighting the torch of a righteous cause.<br><br>
Maybe the rustic philosopher said it best<br>
when she said:<br><br>
lightning tamed<br>
will not destroy<br>
but light the way<br>
for us all.<br><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-88032237502045038052023-12-20T20:22:00.003-06:002023-12-20T20:22:00.119-06:00The Light of December at Midnight<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNWR5I4RLYVV6kxMpCeQPLltGGh9zHkgNUgef5kNnFfxejX12YchrHI5Idi86P9CfAZ72dRVKkVW1Gxx6kT-JT93fmHY3Lh97D97Qkdfb0zFDt2MfCGsvxLEHOUcXk3LP6a2Vhn0USYtmUQcbl39NURh9HKwQC8fELraStC_AVN3Gk19P9F9H/s1600/frankincense%20362w%20-%20December%2018,%202023s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNWR5I4RLYVV6kxMpCeQPLltGGh9zHkgNUgef5kNnFfxejX12YchrHI5Idi86P9CfAZ72dRVKkVW1Gxx6kT-JT93fmHY3Lh97D97Qkdfb0zFDt2MfCGsvxLEHOUcXk3LP6a2Vhn0USYtmUQcbl39NURh9HKwQC8fELraStC_AVN3Gk19P9F9H/s1600/frankincense%20362w%20-%20December%2018,%202023s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author's note:</b><br><br>
Posting this poem each year has become Christmas tradition with me.<br><br><br>
<b>THE LIGHT OF DECEMBER AT MIDNIGHT </b><br><br>
Night feels darker in December <br><br>
and as I open to<br>
the strange deep quiet<br>
of Solstice<br>
I stop my walk <br><br>
to re-examine<br>
the outdoor nativity scene <br>
that before seemed so kitsch.<br>
But now<br>
I suddenly see<br><br>
the pink plastic baby <br>
lying in tinsel straw<br>
is the new life <br>
hidden in my heart--<br><br>
a slow gestation,<br>
the birth, not guaranteed.<br><br>
Then I see<br>
that glittery styrofoam star<br>
is the wise one within-- <br>
the one who often sighs with sadness<br>
at the sight of my rough antics.<br><br>
Then--alas!--I see<br>
that plywood cow beside the manger <br>
is the domestic animal I usually am--<br>
the unenlightened me. <br><br>
Yes, this bovine is quite dim <br>
but I can see my vision has improved-- <br>
consider this: <br>
I’m seeing light I missed last year.<br><br>
So this hope remains:<br>
to eventually grow <br>
into a wise old child<br>
who can gaze into the mundane <br>
and realize<br>
the glory of its light.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1406944156&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-light-of-december-at-midnight" title="The Light of December at Midnight" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Light of December at Midnight</a></div>
<a href="
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NVJYI6Y
">Listening to Silence: poetry book</a> <br>
<a href="
http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com
">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="
http://mythsteps.wordpress.com
">myth steps blog</a><br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/channel/UCY6PIfPRxPTIOgJLaLIfLEg">you tube channel</a><br>
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<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Not to be confused with the song of the same name.<br><br>
The weight in the poem is a different type of burden than the one described in the song. Heavier.<br><br><br>
<b>THE WEIGHT</b><br><br>
In the dream <br>
I carried the world on my shoulders<br><br>
and felt unfairly burdened<br><br>
until I looked around the crowd<br>
and saw how everyone else also struggled <br>
to remain upright.<br><br>
The weight just might break the human race.<br><br>
Some say <br>
the weight comes from the knowledge<br>
death always watches<br>
and may suddenly become impatient.<br><br>
Some say the same in another way—<br>
they say<br>
the weight comes from<br>
our distrust of the world—<br>
the instinct that keeps us alive.<br><br>
Yes—<br>
I feel myself wrapped inside<br>
that state of mind<br><br>
except in those moments<br>
when the stronger me breaks free.<br><br>
In the openness of release<br>
I may again experience <br>
the unknown enormity<br>
of a sky and planet so grand.<br><br>
At such times<br>
life seems much too much—<br>
even in peace the weight stays with me.<br><br>
So<br>
since I can’t get rid of the weight<br>
I’ve decided to embrace the burden—<br><br>
I tell myself:<br>
if you didn’t feel the weight<br>
you wouldn’t struggle so hard to be strong.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1689720429&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-weight" title="The Weight" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Weight</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-34066343358179522522023-12-06T20:11:00.002-06:002023-12-06T20:11:00.131-06:00Sunset Celebration <iframe width="400" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T9wdUBeEEBA?si=-fUDs84slDHaQgdp" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<b>author’s note:</b><br><br>
Yes, I truly believe there’s a big bank.<br><br><br>
<b>SUNSET CELEBRATION</b><br><br>
At the end <br>
as our little Earth<br>
sails into the sunset<br>
I hope those left on deck<br>
will hoist their glasses<br>
in celebration of our accomplishment.<br><br>
After all, to survive that long<br>
we had to rise above<br>
the dictates of our reptilian brain.<br><br>
A higher degree earned <br>
after millennia of pain.<br><br>
I reject the thought<br>
all that good work will be lost<br>
as this planet rides the waves into the sun. <br><br>
No, I say:<br>
such wisdom goes<br>
into a big bank somewhere—<br>
where? Somewhere.<br>
Souls all over this universe<br>
make deposits.<br><br>
I won’t be there at our end<br>
but I will be there at my own<br>
and on my death bed<br>
I’ll hoist a glass if I can—<br>
I’ll celebrate what I’ve learned<br>
during my class time on Earth.<br>
I’ll know:<br><br>
my rough ride on these waves <br>
has been worth the pain<br>
of frequent seasickness<br>
because the gain won’t be lost<br>
but stored for purposes<br>
this tiny mind can’t possibly imagine.<br><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-68514599919654694672023-11-29T20:11:00.003-06:002023-11-29T20:11:00.131-06:00Writing to a Friend Who Has Retired to a Beach Shanty<iframe width="400" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OKx-EdgZ62Y?si=zVcALHUQN13mC6_0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Any big structure is held together with a lot of little structures.<br><br><br>
<b>WRITING TO A FRIEND WHO HAS RETIRED TO A BEACH SHANTY</b><br><br>
Yes, I’ll admit <br>
your theory sounds plausible:<br><br>
the careless behavior<br>
of the human race<br>
may indeed indicate<br>
a secret wish to fall.<br><br>
Not that we want to end our life, no—<br>
but the higher we build<br>
the greater our anxiety <br>
so maybe we feel tempted<br>
to just give up, give in<br>
and let the structure tumble. <br><br>
But because we want to calm our anxiety<br>
we struggle to maintain our stability<br>
and so, for now, we are still standing up. <br><br>
Like you, I feel nervous<br>
about the way we teeter and totter.<br>
So yes, I’d like to retreat<br>
to the peace of the beach<br>
but no—I know<br>
my rest wouldn’t be <br>
true equanimity. <br><br>
No artificial peace for me—<br>
no sitting down— <br>
I’ll work to maintain my balance<br>
and in that way<br>
do my small part <br>
to keep our mad tower <br>
pointed toward the clouds.<br><br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://picturingmetaphor.wordpress.com">picturing metaphor</a><br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton<div class="blogger-post-footer"><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-30789350902188708202023-11-22T20:11:00.000-06:002023-11-22T20:11:00.140-06:00The Little Farmer Feels Grand<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31QqgsaPBk0rsLkAxXtnSgYuf3vMjjtCJwdYPLVSwUW1YkBzxuZ6Z6yizOhurRlNoynka31NE3CzJ9iHUN1wnx2RUlb3EMQmYX1qY3SmQhq8jghArpMz7IgU3KPlR74AszJwW0vv64I_pQt4kjy-zGQa2l9tyHasFtUcpvp3ZxG_dP_58YtZp/s1600/leaf%20impression%20full%20words%20crop%206%20bk%20b%20375w%20-%20Nov%2022,%202023s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31QqgsaPBk0rsLkAxXtnSgYuf3vMjjtCJwdYPLVSwUW1YkBzxuZ6Z6yizOhurRlNoynka31NE3CzJ9iHUN1wnx2RUlb3EMQmYX1qY3SmQhq8jghArpMz7IgU3KPlR74AszJwW0vv64I_pQt4kjy-zGQa2l9tyHasFtUcpvp3ZxG_dP_58YtZp/s1600/leaf%20impression%20full%20words%20crop%206%20bk%20b%20375w%20-%20Nov%2022,%202023s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
I have met the space alien and he is me.<br><br><br>
<b>THE LITTLE FARMER FEELS GRAND</b><br><br>
I claimed this land<br><br>
then built a house and fence<br>
that could withstand <br>
the ferocity of the seasons<br><br>
and under a sky, deep and wide<br>
sowed a crop.<br><br>
So I felt quite satisfied with myself<br>
when I sat down to rest<br>
but then<br><br>
I began to sense a presence<br>
pervading this broad valley.<br><br>
Later that night I woke in the dark<br>
to hear this message whispered:<br><br>
<i>you own nothing here—<br><br>
you are a visitor, a stranger<br><br>
allowed to take for a moment<br><br>
then whisked away like a speck.</i><br><br>
Though my ego felt wounded<br>
I realized the truth of those words.<br>
I was not mighty; I was a mite<br>
supping on an indomitable creature.<br><br>
I’d seen this farm as a monument<br>
to my courage and endurance.<br>
But after my passing<br>
the elements would soon<br>
erase all I’d done.<br><br>
But I also knew:<br>
if I stopped work—<br>
if I abandoned this dot of earth<br>
I would feel<br>
even smaller than I felt now. <br><br>
So I decided on this strategy:<br>
during the long day<br>
I would focus on the task at hand<br>
and not let my eyes wander<br>
toward those distant mountains—<br><br>
not gaze across the sweep of this valley<br>
to the horizon<br><br>
and if I began to sense<br>
that all-knowing presence<br>
I’d shut down my awareness. <br><br>
As a result of this tactic<br>
my daily labor still seems meaningful.<br><br>
But at twilight<br>
when I’m done with chores<br>
I sit down once more<br>
and allow my perspective to stretch—<br>
allow myself to again<br>
feel the living presence.<br><br>
Allow myself to remember<br>
I’m nothing but wee alien visitor here. <br><br>
An odd thought—a little disturbing<br>
but at such moments<br>
I regain my sense of wonder. <br><br>
I never felt so grand<br>
until I became <br>
just a bit of airborne dust<br>
living for a breath in a kingdom<br>
of heaven and earth.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1672021020&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-little-farmer-feels-grand" title="The Little Farmer Feels Grand" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Little Farmer Feels Grand</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-81705221964963957092023-11-15T20:11:00.003-06:002023-11-15T20:11:00.127-06:00The Egg Surrenders to the Inevitable<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Exxgi6Pe0QHiQ2toq0uf_F1JeZUN-T9ndYMWy-_9WjyaiDqpcpLR4IuZadijwHhZy-Yr7BVGj4isUUbvySs3bWqEwpQocFLkkGvkkR7JB0oshAZN8T-_Gyq2rAVGdYuxajfsO79-LGoH3Qr5jWNQ-t16ZRmTcp1lPpsYRLSN-1ihdkd6p8Ob/s1600/egg%20350w%20bk%20b%20-%20Nov%2015,%202023s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Exxgi6Pe0QHiQ2toq0uf_F1JeZUN-T9ndYMWy-_9WjyaiDqpcpLR4IuZadijwHhZy-Yr7BVGj4isUUbvySs3bWqEwpQocFLkkGvkkR7JB0oshAZN8T-_Gyq2rAVGdYuxajfsO79-LGoH3Qr5jWNQ-t16ZRmTcp1lPpsYRLSN-1ihdkd6p8Ob/s1600/egg%20350w%20bk%20b%20-%20Nov%2015,%202023s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
We seem to be metaphor-making machines.<br><br><br>
<b>THE EGG SURRENDERS TO THE INEVITABLE</b><br><br>
All that day I wondered<br>
if we would ever change<br><br>
so that night my deeper mind<br>
gave me this dream:<br><br>
I’m egg <br>
trapped inside its shell<br><br>
so I want to break out<br>
but no—I feel safe<br>
but no, I don’t really feel safe<br>
because this shell could break.<br>
I should leave such a fragile place<br>
but no—<br>
this space has kept me safe.<br><br>
So I try to go but I try to stay<br><br>
and remain locked in place<br>
until I finally realize the obvious:<br>
I can not live, unless <br>
I accept this death.<br>
So I surrender to the inevitable:<br><br>
I let my shell break open. <br><br>
But then<br>
I can no longer live <br>
as an egg<br><br>
so I live as an open well—<br>
humbly offering water to all<br>
because I know <br>
I don’t actually own that water.<br><br>
The dream told me:<br>
one morning we will finally<br>
surrender to the inevitable<br>
and then yell:<br>
<i>to hell with this shell!</i><br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1665779202&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-egg-surrenders-to-the-inevitable" title="The Egg Surrenders to the Inevitable" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Egg Surrenders to the Inevitable</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-13695295063625837232023-11-08T20:11:00.055-06:002023-11-08T20:11:00.140-06:00Spirit Lost and Found<iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="kZZlQXsA95s" width="320" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kZZlQXsA95s"></iframe><br><br>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
I hope my computer doesn’t realize what I’m saying about it.<br><br><br>
<b>SPIRIT LOST AND FOUND</b><br><br>
Often after hours of tapping <br>
on this flat keyboard<br>
these fingers will begin to malfunction.<br><br>
But I can easily fix my digits<br>
by going outside for a spell<br>
to see…to breathe…to feel.<br><br>
My spirit then wakes<br><br>
wakes<br>
as that high-spiraling vulture<br>
lifts my eyes with its glide<br><br>
wakes<br>
as that all-knowing stone<br>
says silently:<br>
<i>sit down and ease your doubt</i><br><br>
wakes<br>
as I share an embrace<br>
with that oak tree merging heaven and earth.<br><br>
My spirit wakes to their spirit.<br><br>
As for this hypnotic mechanism…<br>
maybe it lives, but without spirit.<br>
As a result, while tapping <br>
I often feel too much alone.<br><br>
So when my hands say <i>stop</i><br>
the cause is not merely fatigue<br>
but also the weight of alienation. <br><br>
Lifted <br>
when I escape to the elemental reality<br>
of rock and roots and leaves and wings.<br><br>
Yet I return <br>
to the manufactured reality<br>
after just a short recess<br>
because<br><br>
with this cool tool<br>
I can grieve publicly<br>
over spirit lost<br><br>
and also share <br>
the joy I experience<br>
when I resurrect my spirit. <br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1659631575&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/spirit-lost-and-found" title="Spirit Lost and Found" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Spirit Lost and Found</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM4FR1FW">Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams</a><br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-23789017723095638822023-11-01T20:11:00.001-05:002023-11-01T20:11:00.145-05:00How Ego Saved My Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRM428zjkLOqH3-G2zJ65o6ShgnPPflP0VHpDj-YA2ilUBmZQK067ROpxCuVYjg-T3xlvJO6Rm7Ddp4SmNhGO_UoXvJM6mvMBqKljcAVliF8_oEo90tbmwW4vqjwugMqeK5CfgRNqi2b71RZ32IP_6fbvV5x0YZmB2EEzCqqgDdX5K45qy5Dv/s1600/mud%20leaf%206-2%20375w%20d%20br%20b%20-%20Nov%201,%202023s.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRM428zjkLOqH3-G2zJ65o6ShgnPPflP0VHpDj-YA2ilUBmZQK067ROpxCuVYjg-T3xlvJO6Rm7Ddp4SmNhGO_UoXvJM6mvMBqKljcAVliF8_oEo90tbmwW4vqjwugMqeK5CfgRNqi2b71RZ32IP_6fbvV5x0YZmB2EEzCqqgDdX5K45qy5Dv/s1600/mud%20leaf%206-2%20375w%20d%20br%20b%20-%20Nov%201,%202023s.JPG"/></a></div>
<b>author's note:</b> <br><br>
"Poems are made by fools like me,<br>
But only God can make a tree."<br>
-- Joyce Kilmer<br><br>
Maybe so, but we can damn well help.<br><br><br>
<b>HOW EGO SAVED MY TREE</b><br><br>
Lost, I was—and tired <br>
of searching for new life.<br><br>
So when I found <br>
a winter woman of deep roots<br>
sitting cross-legged on the ground<br>
behind a lonely gas station <br>
I begged her for direction.<br><br>
Without a word, she then pointed me<br>
toward a gray hill covered with a stubble of stumps.<br><br>
<i>Yes,</i> I said, <i>she knows how much</i><br>
<i>that wounded land needs me—<br>
needs<br>
my merciful healing.</i><br><br>
Now, after much uplifting labor<br>
I have finally realized<br>
the obvious:<br>
I feel small when I feel<br>
I’m not needed.<br><br>
Maybe not the best way to be<br>
but<br><br>
apparently the ego <br>
can sometimes serve the spirit:<br><br>
as I battle to save this hill <br>
I am green spring <br>
and I am gold autumn.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1654471905&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/how-ego-saved-my-tree" title="How Ego Saved My Tree" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">How Ego Saved My Tree</a></div>
<a href=" http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5GCUPE"> Searching for my best beliefs: poetry book</a><br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-31672383227869199342023-10-22T20:11:00.011-05:002024-02-12T20:35:44.837-06:00The Tree Speaks to the Tree Hugger<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPfAZVCgNUZoAq4sOwk_m1N-EgXmJQxaKAOVihgBDWt8DSjDmU8x1Zf3GmIIqUsvMlI6kpVD7yzUQuDsz9XaNa66KGoD-bwoXX2ad1PgfHSg_Yi8uH7oaLu-nekJS2mgzKevU9vJ1dO7U9QUgpPxGAqU8uoUKX18uFcw4LCA-cGMd34he28c2/s998/tree%20water%20desert%20837w%204%20d%20bl%20b%20-%20Oct%2022,2023s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="837" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPfAZVCgNUZoAq4sOwk_m1N-EgXmJQxaKAOVihgBDWt8DSjDmU8x1Zf3GmIIqUsvMlI6kpVD7yzUQuDsz9XaNa66KGoD-bwoXX2ad1PgfHSg_Yi8uH7oaLu-nekJS2mgzKevU9vJ1dO7U9QUgpPxGAqU8uoUKX18uFcw4LCA-cGMd34he28c2/s320/tree%20water%20desert%20837w%204%20d%20bl%20b%20-%20Oct%2022,2023s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
While you give to me and I give to you<br>
True love, true love<br>
— “True Love”, Cole Porter<br><br><br>
<b>THE TREE SPEAKS TO THE TREE HUGGER</b><br><br>
As a tree, I can see<br>
you now fight the need<br>
to release your abundant burden of love.<br>
But please, surrender:<br>
encircle me with your weary arms—<br>
I am here to accept your offering.<br><br>
As a tree, I know<br>
you struggle because<br>
after so much hurt<br>
you dare not touch <br>
anything at all.<br><br>
You’re trying to escape—<br>
you’ve numbed the pain<br>
you’ve numbed the love.<br>
Neither living nor dead—<br>
you’re one more lost ghost.<br><br>
But I trust your higher instinct—<br>
I trust<br>
your irrepressible desire for life<br>
will eventually lift you above your fear.<br><br>
Nonetheless<br>
this separation pains me.<br>
Yes, humans need trees<br>
but trees also need humans—<br>
I’m only complete when I can be<br>
what I am meant to be:<br>
I need to serve up comfort<br>
to people who need<br>
to serve up their love.<br><br>
I give breath to you—<br>
you give breath to me.<br>
Not just the physical breath—<br>
neither one of us can live long without<br>
the spiritual breath of the heart.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1646821098&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-tree-speaks-to-the-tree-hugger" title="The Tree Speaks to the Tree Hugger" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Tree Speaks to the Tree Hugger</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1953996256">finding Beauty: poetry book</a> <br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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</form></div>Michael R. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11603819060692390873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10932484.post-40441232773470553722023-10-12T20:11:00.009-05:002023-10-12T20:11:00.148-05:00The Impossible<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi18Y3J_ZMjutgcqsJiJJ3RZ8n3G_CaV7akpDqHJpZtUbdCCQgy3ngWMRZ-hHxfyit5J1zn6GypBVnKSV8ldMywYSeNL-1oQoIosDS4wuBS08gB06BeIZDJNJkonKZY8JW0Mv0XOSBsXguuAMs-UFX_56rDEJoT64gcbvrTcmzF2IDzOxeiyB7/s1600/open%20heart%20260w%202%20bk%20b%20-%20Oct%2012,%202023s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi18Y3J_ZMjutgcqsJiJJ3RZ8n3G_CaV7akpDqHJpZtUbdCCQgy3ngWMRZ-hHxfyit5J1zn6GypBVnKSV8ldMywYSeNL-1oQoIosDS4wuBS08gB06BeIZDJNJkonKZY8JW0Mv0XOSBsXguuAMs-UFX_56rDEJoT64gcbvrTcmzF2IDzOxeiyB7/s1600/open%20heart%20260w%202%20bk%20b%20-%20Oct%2012,%202023s.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>author’s note:</b> <br><br>
Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world. <br>
— Mary Oliver<br><br><br>
<b>THE IMPOSSIBLE</b><br><br>
“Love” doesn’t seem to be word enough<br>
when talking about love.<br>
We need a magical mix of language—<br><br>
a perfect concoction<br>
that would coalesce to create a golden wand—<br>
an instrument that could open our hearts <br>
with just a touch—<br>
open us to the secret <br>
of what we truly feel.<br><br>
We’d return to that eternal alloy<br>
again and again and again<br>
and each time experience <br>
the same soft explosion of emotion.<br><br>
A revolution of empathy—<br>
we’d turn and turn <br>
and turn into<br>
the better version we need to be<br>
in order to survive <br>
this calamity we’ve made. <br><br>
No, forget what I just said—<br>
that dream was dreamt by the child I once was<br>
—not me.<br>
Even the mystics <br>
who created those ritual songs and texts<br>
failed to do the impossible.<br><br>
Maybe I still seem to be trying.<br>
Well, I am and I’ll tell you why:<br><br>
in this slow tedious labor<br>
occasionally, I accidentally<br>
touch my heart.<br>
Yes, I touch my own heart.<br>
And during those brief openings<br>
I feel the secret—<br>
I feel<br>
just how deeply I love us.<br><br>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1638868869&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps" title="mythsteps" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">mythsteps</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/mythsteps/the-impossible" title="The Impossible" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">The Impossible</a></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZO2QIQE">My War for Peace: poetry book</a> <br>
<a href="http://mythsteps.wordpress.com">myth steps blog</a> <br>
<a href="http://dreamsteps.wordpress.com">dream steps blog</a><br>
<a href="https://youtube.com/@mythsteps">you tube channel</a> <br>
© 2023, Michael R. Patton
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