Talking to the Wee Folk In Case They Actually Exist

author’s note:

I think you can find mystery anywhere, everywhere.

But some places are just more conducive to the experience.


TALKING TO THE WEE FOLK IN CASE THEY ACTUALLY EXIST

When the hunter sprayed his friend
with buckshot
perhaps he was a little bit drunk
or perhaps you tricked him
because in his callous ignorance
he’d tromped over your clover
with his big clumsy boots.

Or because
you heard him laugh at
a folk legend loved in times past
when people still indulged
their sense of wonder.

Maybe some will say
I don’t like plain facts
but when my goosebumps rise
the plain fact is:
the one within this skin
senses mystery lurking.

But though I like to imagine
that mystery could be you
I know the mystery is probably
something I can’t possibly imagine.

No, forget what I just said!
Of course I believe you’re really here--

why else would I ask you
to forgive this fool
if he slips or trips?
Please, I pray--
I’m not obtuse, just transfixed
by the dark garden
of your forest labyrinth.

mythsteps · Talking to the Wee Folk in Case They Actually Exist

Searching for my best beliefs: poetry book
myth steps blog
dream steps blog
you tube channel
© 2023, Michael R. Patton

Shopping in the Labyrinth

author’s note:

"Time is money."
        -- Anonymous


SHOPPING IN THE LABYRINTH

According to a recurrent dream
I'm traveling through a labyrinth

but unlike those described
in myths and legends
this passageway leads me
through the halls
of an average shopping mall

with countless bright stores
offering every sort of thing
except what I seek.

Not that I know
what that is--I only know
I haven't found it yet.

But I don't feel defeated--
I'm still eager to explore--to see
what waits next door down.

Maybe these dreams show how
I’m gathering information.
Even when I don’t buy what I see
I can find another piece of the puzzle
just by stopping to look

and if I collect enough pieces
I may be able to fill in the spaces--
I may see “the big picture”:
the grand design of this life.

A woman I met on a bus
told me she also shops
in her dreams...maybe
everyone does--maybe
we’re all trying to discover
the beautiful design in
what appears to be chaos.

In any case
this much is obvious:
we were made to shop.

The Truth of the Dream: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2022, Michael R. Patton

Old Hope Reborn

author's note:

Whoever invented the alarm clock must've hated dreams.


OLD HOPE REBORN

In the dream...

my shoulders slumped
in sad humility

as I looked down at
my footprints in the dust
and saw such chaos--
just a roundabout mess of steps.

I could see no gain
in that circle of clutter--
no, only loss.

But then a voice
(maybe within, maybe without)
said:

you're a labyrinth within a labyrinth.

So I checked again
and lo!--
I began to see a design...`

a pattern too soon shattered
by the dull drill of my alarm.

But though I can't recall
the truth I saw
at least, I again believe
a plan exists
for me...for all of us:

so again I have hope--

perhaps foolishly so
but oh--
I enjoy being young again.

© 2018, Michael R. Patton searching for my best beliefs: poetry ebook

Light from a Dark Dream

author's note:

No such thing as a bad dream!


LIGHT FROM A DARK DREAM

As I struggled to navigate
the dark labyrinth
of that dream...

what a shock when
the thin guiding thread broke
and soon after that
my small lamp blew out

then in the smoky fog
I tried to find my way
with careful fingertips

but my sense of touch
had dulled.

What a blessing that dream!--
because...

when I awoke to its light
I began to see again.

© 2018, Michael R. Patton
my war for peace: poetry ebook

Your Green Slip

author's note:

"In the Spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love."
              -- Tennyson

And maybe an older man's fancy too.


YOUR GREEN SLIP

The moment
I glimpsed your green slip
I felt myself lift

up
out of that dark underground artery--

hooked by a hunger
I wanted to ignore
but wanted to obey

and obeyed, because
I knew I would return

to explore
as monks long have--
believing
as fools long have:

if we plot enough coordinates
in this confusion of tunnels
we'll eventually realize
the magnificence of a labyrinth

and know just where we are.

But today, I'll obey the hunger
and maybe tomorrow too

because to live with confusion
we must occasionally forget
our confusion
by giving and receiving
in the manner
of kittens and puppies.

© 2018, Michael R. Patton
what I learned while alone: poetry ebook