The Earning

Where there is darkness be the light.
Where there is light mark the shadows,
Lest the darkness come to feel ignored,
And set its sights upon returning.

Others in light may ridicule your vigilance,
Because they have never been alone in darkness,
So they do not appreciate the danger.
See where they stand in the journey of life
And let them speak their naivety.
When your light finds them in darkness
They will understand what previously they could not.
For the world runs in cycles,
From night to day, And day to night,
Both finding each of us in their turn.

The light from without is fleeting,
But the light from within can be made steady,
By the life serving choices of a rational mind.
All life is a value worthy of your concern,
But a life which cannot conceive of death is also a danger.
Only through loss can we extrapolate greater loss
And in imagining thusly, gird against it.
Only through fear, can we find courage.

Your light is a badge upon your soul,
Commemorating the trials you have overcome.
Wear it so that others may know that it can be earned,
But do not cheat them of the earning.
There is no light within, without the earning.

Soul Mates

He gave her space. 

She presumed disinterest.
And there she went

Untimely egress. 

He tried to chase, 

But so it seemed
She had lost interest. 

Sometimes soul mates, 

Like ships,

Get lost at sea. 

Somewhere out there

Are she and he. 

Somewhere searching 

Adrift maybe. 

Drifting, drifting 

Through nights and days

Against endless horizon

Over roiling swells 

Asea in space

With churning hearts

Out of place

Alone apart. 

Up in the crows nest,
His heart is full - 

With his spy to eye,

A steady slosh on the hull.

Below, a listless sigh,

Way up above,
Where eagles fly,

Stars burn forever. 

He gave her space

At last, he knows better.
Bobbing on the waves
His woebegone letter
Bottled in corked glass.

Where is she now? 

Is she searching like him? 

Somewhere someway, 

Somewhere someday, 

He gave her space

Soul mates...

My First Collection on Amazon: Beyond The Clouds of Misunderstanding

My First Collection is now available on Amazon and Kindle!

"Beyond The Clouds of Misunderstanding: Poetry and Spoken Word 1991 - 2005" by C. Gavin Skeen is now available for pre-order. The official release date is September 16, 2019!

Some of the works on this blog are in the collection, including the title piece:

Beyond the Clouds of Misunderstanding

Next Shakespeare

Blood Face Back

I didn't realize I had never put the title piece up before. Well, its up now. I'm so excited to have a published collection in the world! You can find the book at; C. Gavin Skeen Amazon Author Page

There is a video of me performing BTCOM on that page as well. If you are a poetry venue or bookstore interested in hosting me for a public reading of works from the book, contact me at cgavinskeen@yahoo.com

Beyond the Clouds of Misunderstanding

I encourage you to look in the mirror and
Love what you see. Be secure in your
Self. It makes sense for me
To want you to be the best you can be.
Everything I write is about one
Individual being the best he or she
Can be. Everything I write is about one
Strong person standing up for self,
Having the courage to face fear -- to stare
Down hatred -- to deny naysayers -- to cast
Aside guilt without a safety line --
To take the leap with faith in the self,
In yourself, in myself. I like what I see,
And work to continue liking me. Do you
Want to look back and smile? Shed denial!
Take pride in what you have accomplished.
To be happy, be strong, be you,
Be happy. I encourage you, because
I want more of me in the world.
The weak are violent -- the frightened are weak --
The haters are frightened -- The ignorant hate.
I want more of me in the world.
Be strong -- Take courage -- Love -- Explore -- Learn. Grow
Beyond the clouds of misunderstanding. Everything
I write is about one strong person standing
Up for Self. Everything I write is about
Many one strong persons standing up for themselves.
Solidarity of guiltless individuals will bring us
Beyond the Clouds of Misunderstanding

Wet Song

(A satire of "Jet Song" by Leonard Bernstein)

When you are wet

You are wet all the way

In your waterlogged sneaks

That squish when you sway

When you are wet

Drenched through and through

Your clothes are all soggy

And there’s nothing to do

You can try and get dry

If the dryer’s connected

An umbrella might help

At least that’s expected

To keep you protected!

Then you are set

Capital W say

Which you’ll never forget

Till they cart you away

When you are wet

You stay Wet!

When you are wet

Like cat nearly drowned

You’re the drippiest thing

Damp as can be

Like an undersea king

The wets in your ear

Bits of towel are stickin’!

The Sharks’ll come near

‘Cause they think you’re sea chicken!

Here comes the wet

Like a tsunami from hell

Better run for your life

Or you’ll get caught in the swell!

Here comes the wet

So much rain falling outside

And it follows you home

Soakin’ where you reside!

You try drawin’ the line

But you cannot stay hidden

The weather ain’t fine

But that’s part of livin’

And we ain’t kiddin!

Here comes the wet

Yeah! It sure beats the heat

Ev’ry last falling drop

Makes another puddle on the street!

On the whole!

Ever!

Mother!

Lovin’!

Street!

Yeah!

How Butterflies are Made

First there is a pupae
in the depth of its potential
inherently beautiful
yet eminently vulnerable
to vagarous corruption.

Upon reflective rapture, in spring,
Narcissus longingly swooned
at a watery illusion of self,
vaguely represented in a fleeting
reproduction of reality.

Down the runway, the model commanded
her audience with an apery of conviction
while secretly starving for esteem
from this shallow self, easily strangled
by powder, elixir and depravation.

Longing for approval from a father
who had never seen the boy,
nor the man, through his own insecurity,
his orphan soul curled validation
with stretching sinew and plumping muscle.

Foundations in perception
substitute for sterner principle
where scavengers desperately feed
on flitting, wispy, wild-eyed dreams
and no blueprint for action.

Eschew the misleading mirror
and look more deeply, in practice,
for a reason to love your purpose
and pursue the production
of value within and without.

Self is something more solid
than the silvery shower of saliva-slime laden,
derogatory invective, thoughtlessly hurled
at the productive, with bratty conviction
and blind jealousy by glittery slugs.

Beauty is on the surface a look,
but more deeply a way,
which metamorphosizes
in a chrysalis of confidence
to emerge as a butterfly.

reflection on the passing of W.S. Merwin

even as melancholy swoons
within lines of sacred elegy
this poet a man whose influence 
showed me how to listen to my own 
voice through his shall be missed