Give Me Liberty (Or Give Me Death)

Locked inside forever it seems

A storm raging outside

Time passes slowly and fast all at once

A never-ending tide

Fearful of what cannot be seen

The touch of death all around

New normal but how can this be

Gasping for breath with rasping sound

Life before seems taken for granted

Trapped here forever at home

Somehow trauma realigns the slanted

As we long for the freedom to roam

Lurking unseen the virus remains

Eager to infect some more pain

Swallowed the key to our own chains

Eying the door desperately seems insane

Give me liberty or give me death

No progress comes without action

Freedom is worth every breath

And principles provide traction

Give me liberty or give me death

While shadows tighten the noose

Living free is worth every breath

And fear is no excuse

The food in the pantry starting to thin

Making meals of crackers and dust

Nefarious forces discretely grin

While we grapple with whom to trust

Meanwhile funds also suffer this fate

Drifting away through a sieve

The hour perpetually seeming too late

How much of our lives must we give

Security is what we sought

But in return gained only fear

We wonder now if we should have fought

More boldly for that which we hold dear

That which is precious in home and hearth

Cannot be produced from a void

Man must roam unobstructed on Earth

For his productivity to be deployed

Give me liberty or give me death

No fruits from labors untended

The fight for freedom worth every breath

Until my battle has ended

Give me liberty or give me death

I’ll reap the seeds I’ve sewn

My virtues in life worth every breath

This life of mine I own

Dear Poet (On the Passing of Bill Withers)

Oh lovely poet's window eye

Who's verbal prism made us sigh;

A maple tap upon the soul

Sweetly sung to make us whole,

Sonorously soothing melodic sound

Your beacon voice warm and round

Expressed a melancholy deep and blue

Made hopeful by its finding you - 

Well now your time has come to leave

And I can scarcely bare to grieve. 

You left no room for mournful strife,

Dear Poet, your legacy is life...

Soundcloud Audio: Dear Poet (On the Passing of Bill Withers) by C. Gavin Skeen

Firefly

See you through the haze
Watching in a daze
Firefly in my hand

A fleeting moment

Like slipping sand.

I’m mesmerized

By blinking light

Lighthouse in darkest night.

Reach out

And try to hold,

But there’s no telling

How this may unfold.

Firefly if you should land

Tell me your story and

Leave me time to feel

Grateful that wisdom heels.

I know you cannot stay.

Must fly before its day,

To illuminate the sky

Before that final sigh.

Thank you for taking time,

That I may worship the sublime

Glow that you leave behind,

Still resonating in my mind.

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