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author’s note:
After trying for 18 years, maybe I’ve finally gotten this poem right.
Maybe.
YOUR LIGHT
Though you left the room
many years ago
your light still helps me see.
When I choose
to look at this world
through your luminous eyes
I see light I might otherwise miss:
Yesterday, I saw a beam shoot
from an open hand.
And today I witnessed
a fist leaking light
from between its fingers.
Occasionally I even see
the light you swore you saw in me.
When I lift my eyes
sometimes I see you at night—
a star among the many stars
who guide desperate ships to port.
Butterfly Soul: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2025, Michael R. Patton
author’s note:
Does a comet realize it’s bright?
THE GRAND TEMPLE
Years ago, I visited a temple
prompted by my cat-like curiosity
and the light I found inside dazzled me.
Nonetheless, I did not stay—
I wanted to see what
the next temple might bring.
And to my delight
in the next I also found
the light of many jewels—
the same light just arrayed differently.
But no, I did not stay—
I wanted to know
if I could find more.
I traveled that path for a year—
finding jewels of light in so many temples
and some of what I found
stayed with me
after I moved on.
And so, I gradually grew brighter.
Then one day an old monk
told me of a temple
grander than all the others.
“Where?” I begged to know.
Despite all the light I’d found
I felt a driving need to find more.
“I can not show you,”
the monk replied.
“But if you keep going
you’ll eventually discover
the temple I speak of.”
So of course, I kept going.
But as the days added up to months
and I did not find what I hoped to find
I despaired
of ever finding what I sought.
And so
though I stayed on the road
I felt lost
until the night I stopped
at the small adobe home
of a quiet peasant woman.
When I asked her if she knew
of the grand temple of my search
she did not speak
but led me to the backroom
then blew out the candle.
In the sudden darkness
I found myself surrounded
by a dazzle of diamond light—
so many facets flashing illumination—
moving, swirling around me
like a school of incandescent fish
in water deep black.
Quickly dizzy
from the unexpected spectacle
I nearly swooned.
“Where did you find all this light?”
I whispered with my heart in my throat.
“I went to the temple within,”
she said.
“Every day, every night
I go to the temple within.”
After that evening, I ended my search
and returned home
carrying with me all the jewels
I’d gathered on my harvest trek—
including the fishes gifted to me
by that gifted woman.
All this brilliance helps guide my way
as I try to bring forth
those diamonds of light
hidden in the shadows of that backroom.
33 1/3 New Fables & Myths
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2025, Michael R. Patton
author’s note:
Though I’m still pretty dim, recent dreams show me attending college.
So, at least I’ve graduated from high school.
AN EDUCATION IN THE CAVE
The wise one told me:
when the first gods found the first humans
fumbling around in fog
they decided to brighten the sun.
But to see the truth so suddenly
shocked the humans—
they ran into a cave to hide
then got lost deep inside that dark maze.
A hard life—
stumbling around without light.
But in time, people adjusted.
Incredible as it may seem
eventually, humans forgot they couldn’t see.
But oh—
sometimes we remember
when we collide with a stalactite
or get bitten by a bat
or worse yet
fall into a pit.
Oh yeah, I told the wise one
I’ve known the pain
of the collision—
the toothy sting—
the hard landing.
After so many severe reminders
I’ve devoted my life
to the struggle to see.
Ah yes, the wise one replied:
calamity can awaken
our desire for clarity.
But wise one, I asked
if you’re so bright
why can’t you guide me
out of this dim cavern?
My teacher then gave me
this last insight:
Before I found my light
I felt the same doubt you feel now
so I do what I can to help.
But alas, that’s limited.
The final irony is:
the only one who can lead you
to your light
is that wise one within.
Get the Message: a short guide for understanding dreams
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2024, Michael R. Patton
author’s note:
Posting this poem each year has become a Christmas tradition with me.
THE LIGHT OF DECEMBER AT MIDNIGHT
Night feels darker in December
and as I open to
the strange deep quiet
of Solstice
I stop my walk
to re-examine
the outdoor nativity scene
that before seemed so kitsch.
But now
I suddenly see
the pink plastic baby
lying in tinsel straw
is the new life
hidden in my heart–
a slow gestation,
the birth, not guaranteed.
Then I see
that glittery styrofoam star
is the wise one within–
the one who often sighs with sadness
at the sight of my rough antics.
Then–alas!–I see
that plywood cow beside the manger
is the domestic animal I usually am–
the unenlightened me.
Yes, this bovine is quite dim
but I can see my vision has improved–
consider this:
I’m seeing light I missed last year.
So this hope remains:
to eventually grow
into a wise old child
who can gaze into the mundane
and realize
the glory of its light.
Listening to Silence: poetry book
dream steps blog
myth steps blog
you tube channel
© 2022, Michael R. Patton
Michael Patton
sky rope (subterranean rappel) 