Fable of the Man Who Stepped into the Ocean

author’s note:

Going with the flow is scary.


FABLE OF THE MAN WHO STEPPED INTO THE OCEAN

He shivered in a cave by the beach

just as he’d done as a child
and like that child, he felt ashamed
of the way he trembled

at the sight
of those broad gray-green waters outside:
a mad field of indomitable waves
spread all the way to a slate horizon.

But in the exhaustion of his fear
he went into a semi-sleep
and dreamt he was
a small child finally deciding to take
one step forward toward the water.

But education can be brutal
even when we’re careful:

as soon as he’d planted his foot
a monstrous wave abruptly rose up
and swept him in--
suddenly he found himself far from shore
choking on hard cold bitter water.

But in the dream
the child knew
only an adult could save him
and since he was alone
he knew he must become that adult.

Then as an adult, he realized
you can’t fight or escape a force
of such great power--
what you must do requires
a wise courage:
instead of struggling
you must open yourself and roll
with the rolling waves:

And so he lay back
and spread arms and legs out.
Through chattering teeth, he told himself:
“I know I can not kill my fear
 but I can create a safe distance
 by watching it
 with the meditative curiosity
 of an old Buddha cat.”

In the dream, he then looked down
to see himself far below
as a little bitty cork
bobbing bravely on an immense heaving sea
and realized
he couldn’t sink.

Having done what he needed to do
in the dream
our hero then awoke

and walked out of the cave
toward the shoreline.

Approaching that gray-green glory
he felt so small
yet also felt stronger than ever

and though he cried
the man no longer cried
the tears of a child.

Common Courage: poetry ebook
you tube channel
dream steps blog
© 2022, Michael R. Patton

Heroic Birds

author’s note:

For all the heroic birds out there.


HEROIC BIRDS

Such fierce resiliency--
witness
how those wrens hold out
in the awning of a gas station

or peck at the fallen fries
on a greasy fast-food drive-thru lane.

Why would they choose this mess
instead of the open sky?

Maybe those peasants understand
how survival in a shabby wasteland
elevates them to heroic status.

One summer day I marveled
at the easy glide of two eagles
circling high over a valley

but I see as much beauty
in the way those wrens flurry
their little brown wings.

© 2021, Michael R. Patton

The Perspective of an Ant Climbing a Mountain

author's note:

I want to be remembered--even if I'm only remembered as "anonymous author".


THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN ANT CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN

The boulder before me
seemed scalable
but when I tried to climb over
I began to struggle--
clawing and clinging
to a vertical.

Yet recently when I looked back

that block of rock appeared to be
no bigger than a pebble.

And so
my pride in accomplishment
deflated just a bit.

Then, as I strained my eyes
trying to see why
something that size
had caused me such trouble
I noticed a long line of ants
climbing over so many pebbles
as they crawled up the slope.

I’m just an another ant.

But this ant climbs a mountain, doesn’t it?

© 2021, Michael R. Patton
Soultime: a novel

How to Achieve Buoyancy

author's note:

Love yourself.  Then forget it.  Then, love the world.
                -- Mary Oliver


HOW TO ACHIEVE BUOYANCY

I've seen some who always seem so buoyant.

I ask myself:
even if they're not weighted
with personal conflict
how can they witness
the struggle and conflict
of our world
and not feel a burden
of incessant frustration?

I assume many are simply oblivious.

However
I believe a few
are born blessed with wisdom--
what they see up-close
they also view
from the mountain

and then maybe others
once felt as heavy as I do today
but gradually found courage enough
to open--to surrender

to the flood waters we hold
but try to hold back--
for fear of being overwhelmed
by our empathy for all humankind.

So now, instead of sinking
at the sight of so much pain
those brave people ascend--
lifted by the rising waters.

A possibility--or so I hope
as I struggle to cope
with all I witness
in this wounded world

which of course, includes
the wounded man
I often criticize--
the one who writes these lines.

© 2019, Michael R. Patton
what I learned while alone: poetry ebook