Buckets & Ladders

author’s note:

I’m so desperate for good news, I’m trying to make a little myself.


BUCKETS & LADDERS

The candidate says he can save us.

But no—
he couldn’t even if he tried.
As the wise one once said:

You are the only one
who can lower your bucket
down into the well.
You are the only one
who can climb your ladder.

When the candidate proclaims:
“I’m so tall, I’m so deep!”
he sounds so short, so shallow.
Yet many believe that snake-oil salesman
because they’re searching for hope.

Well, I’ve found hope in another belief
because I see
it slowly becoming a reality:

Tired of being less than we actually are
we will reclaim our power
by rejecting our idols
and lowering our buckets down
deep into the moon in the well
while climbing up our ladders—
climbing, trying to reach the sun.

mythsteps · buckets and ladders

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© 2025, Michael R. Patton

No More Acts of God

author’s note:

“Tonight‘s forecast...dark.”
          -- George Carlin


NO MORE ACTS OF GOD

I say we stop
blaming our gods or God
for "Acts of God".

As the flood waters rise
and the winds try to rip us apart
better to admit:
it's our own damn fault.

With the sword stroke of those words
we can reclaim our power.

When our patient angels
see us using our strength
they'll cease their weeping

and lift us as we work
to save this world
from the flaws of our species.

© 2018, Michael R. Patton
I'm Responsible: a pessimistic optimist responds to the trouble of his times