The Young Dancer

author’s note:

Gravity can be such a pain sometimes.


THE YOUNG DANCER

See that dancer wobbling on her thin stems?
She feels disgraced by her lack of grace.
But each time she falls
she rises again—
driven
by the desire to express
the beauty she feels within.

A desire still strong
after a hundred falls.
A beautiful desire.

I’m afraid she’ll try
to lower that flame
if I tell the young dancer
what I’ve learned:
the frustration never ends—
balance is always a work in progress.
By now, I’ve probably fallen
a hundred thousand times.

Road to Somewhere: poetry book
dream steps blog
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© 2026, Michael R. Patton

Your Tree

author’s note:

I think I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
         — Joyce Kilmer


YOUR TREE

To try to ease the pain of loss
I planted that sapling in your memory.

And as the tree grew
I recalled how
your arms kept reaching
upward and outward.
And how your heart
kept on rooting deeper down.

But then one afternoon
as I placed my hand on its thin trunk
I began to worry:
What if the tree caught
some strange disease?
Then I would lose you twice.

So I began to gather its seeds
and began to plant them
all over the yard
then all over the community.
And then beyond—
wherever I saw the need
for such a tree as yours.

So I’m comforted, knowing
your tree will live on
through the generations.

But I will live on too, won’t I?—
through the work
of planting these trees.
And the more I plant
the bigger my afterlife will be.

And so I continue to plant.


Road to Somewhere: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2026, Michael R. Patton

The Life of a Walking Esophagus

author’s note:

My best answers come to me too late.


THE LIFE OF A WALKING ESOPHAGUS

When someone asks
What do you do?
I often feel I’m being judged
by eyes blinded by dollar signs.

Maybe next time
I’ll try to open those orbs
by stating this basic truth:

“I’m a walking esophagus
  searching all about
  for what might satisfy
  an insatiable craving for experience.

“I take in as much as I can hold.
  Then try to digest—
  some meals only stay down
  after I chewed on them for years.

“That’s my life, essentially.
  But maybe I should say: that’s ours.
  What do I do?
  I do the same as you.

“And like you
  learn from all I do.
  And in that way, add
  my little bit
  to the big soul bank.”

That answer will likely irritate some
who reject such metaphysical notions.
But if challenged, I would tell them:

"By finding higher purpose
  in all our acts, large and small
  I’ve elevated our lives.
  Don’t you want to live up here with me?"

Road to Somewhere: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2026, Michael R. Patton

Rebellion of Love

author’s note:

Planning my winter.


REBELLION OF LOVE

One day
(hopefully, still far away)
my body will refuse to stand up
when my warm thoughts grow hot.

Will refuse, refuse—
no matter what tricks I use.

But though held down
by the dictates of nature
I can still rebel
by prying my heart open
and releasing all the love
hidden behind my passion.

Road to Somewhere: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2026, Michael R. Patton