life – Galen Skye

Poem – 2021 – He brought me a cup of water

By galenskye | July 14, 2021 | Comments 0 Comment

He brought me a cup of water.
It was wet, dripping slightly
Due to a stumble or two when he
Had climbed up two flights of stairs.

A cup of water, unasked for, yet given
Because I had developed a headache
And needed to rest on the bed for a moment.
A sweet, caring gesture from my wonderful child.

A cup of water.
A gift so much beyond what it seemed.
The gift of knowing that my child
Loves so strongly with his kind, caring soul.

He brought me a cup of water
And brightened my world
With it. And then a kiss and
A smile full of love and a hug—

As full as the Cup was when he first filled it–
completed the remedy.

G. S. Skye 2021

Poem – 2021 – Memories Wash Over Me

By galenskye | July 6, 2021 | Comments 0 Comment

Today, I took a moment and then a few more
To think of you and feel
All the memories wash over me on
The breath of a wish, the sigh of our dreams,
And the knowing that you will always be part of me
In the stories I tell my child,
Drawing pictures for him so he will
Always remember…
Tomorrow and many more days to come
I will both forget and remember
That you aren’t here physically, and I will take a moment—
Again—
Then I will talk to you anyway
About our day, and still sharing
As we always did before.
Memory is a blessing, and we carry you with us
Every single day, mei mei,
And I revel in the joy of having had you in my world.

G. S. Skye
11:59 6 July 2021

Poem - Memories Wash Over Me - GalenSkye

Poem – Patio (Draft) by Galen Skye

By galenskye | June 10, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Patio

You build it together.
A new outdoor space for
Entertaining, play and peace.
You build it with sweat, aching backs
Even a little bit of blood and a few
Tears of Frustration.

When it is done, though, there is
Accomplishment,
Satisfaction,
and Exhaustion.
But that is not even the beginning.
As it turns out, you created so much more.

It is an oasis on a troubled day.
A fortress, ready with turrets and
A lookout post.
It is a spacecraft, hovering over
Strange people and worlds.
It is no longer a layer of bricks.
It is a time machine taking you to
Fascinating places filled with
Adventures just waiting to be explored.

This place, this simple patio, becomes
Solace and hope during a complicated time.
And as the smile on your son’s face brightens
With imagination, it lights up your world.

Then, when the storms roll in and
We scramble to put things away, and
The wind kicks up,
A patio it becomes again,
Until another day, when imagination reigns and
The possibilities take flight.

G. S. Skye

9 June 2020 (Draft)

In and Out, a poem (draft) by Galen Skye

Poem – In and Out

By galenskye | May 14, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

In and out…

Your soft breath tickles my faces
As I lay here listening.
Each quiet breath a joy
In its simple necessity,
Just laying here in the dark.
In and out,
And with each breath
The love in my heart expands.
I lay here and marvel in it,
Take solace in it–
Find peace.
And you, my sweet boy,
All warm with sleep,
Just breathe.

GSS May 2020 – Draft

Draft (2019) – I am not ready

By galenskye | November 14, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

I am not ready.

Today when my child came home from school I turned off the TV and
The unending reports of scared children after yet another shooting.
He curled up on my lap and didn’t notice the sudden lack of news.
Instead, he hugged me tight and told me of his day.

He hugged me tight, not knowing how much I needed
His small yet strong little arms wrapped up in mine
His wonderful, animated face full of love and excitement.
He talked of future days in school
And I grasped that thread of hope and clung to it;
I clung so tight that I hugged him again and thought not for the
First time—

I am not ready.

I am not prepared to talk to this precious child
About the realities of life.
I am not yet able to formulate the words that
Someday will fray the edges of the safe blanket
He has wrapped around him, that school is safe.
School should be safe, dammit.
It should be a place where children can learn and grow and
Take flight with learning and imagination.
School should be safe.

I am not ready.
So I hugged him back.

14 November 2019

Draft (2019) – My Brother is many things

By galenskye | November 4, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

My brother is many things:
Charming, annoying, honorable, chivalrous
Funny, playful, stubborn, oh so stubborn and
Incredibly smart— of mouth and brain.
Having a friend isn’t quite the same as having a sibling.
There’s just something more and different and if you’re lucky
A very special bond that defies all.
Having a brother, well, that’s a strange and wonderful thing.
It’s like having a best friend, champion and nemesis
All carefully wrapped up in a
Neat package of strength, tempered with a touch of vulnerability—
Accented with a playful punch,
Strong hugs, a smirk and a knowing look
That can say more in a second than a lifetime of words.
Having a brother isn’t always a choice.
Finding your brother as an adult when you never even knew you
Needed him…

Is a gift.

4 November 2019

Draft (2019) – Snuggles on a Saturday

By galenskye | November 2, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Snuggles on a Saturday morning are the best.
Warm, sweet child molded into my side,
A contented smile on his face
As we watch a favorite movie
And I drink my tea.
The occasional hug,
The cheerful laugh,
And mischievous grin
As slowly, ever so slowly he shifts
Watching me closely from beneath his fringe.
Wow! Such cold feet!

2 Nov 2019

Galen Skye - Poetry - Snuggles on a Saturday

Draft (2019) – Trick or Treat

By galenskye | November 1, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Winter is early this year.
The wet, cold snow blows
Fiercely as we wander from
House to house—
Weather only curbs our urchins.
Their quest for joy fulfilled.
Yet, as the slush streaks sideways in
Strong winds that could lift
An Umbrella and whisk us away,
They laugh and vie for the next piece.
Until we near the house…
Suddenly the promise of warmth,
Hot chocolate, cupcakes and toys
Appeals more.
Trick or treat?!

1 Nov 2019

The Playground (Draft)

By galenskye | April 6, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

It’s a strange terrible world
Where the kids on the playground
Warn each other to be wary,
To hesitate
To not talk to you while your child is playing.

These children, still in single digits
Should not be so afraid of people on the playground
Should not worry so much
Or hesitate.

Our children should not need to be wary because my skin is a different color,
Because my hair is wrapped in a turban
Because you just can’t trust anyone anymore.

We’ve created a world where the instincts if children
Have been rendered inadequate
Have been considered less than necessary
Have been set aside because you might be wrong.

You might make a mistake.

I dread the day when my child
Learns that he has to be more careful
That he is privileged because his more colorful heritage is masked
By the Nordic looks he inherited from his father.

That, because we have raised him to be
Compassionate and Kind
Fair and Just
Above all else, based on who someone is…
I fear that he will find a day when
He has to defend that which he accepts unconditionally.

Friendship

Loyalty

Honor above all

Justice.

And yet, I see hope as he plays with others, bright charming smile
And the kids play with him.
And maybe, this world of hesitation and fear can heal.

Maybe, it all really does start on the Playground

6th March, 2019

Everything has a beginning

By galenskye | May 16, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

Everyone has a beginning.
On the tree of life we start
As too green leaves
Bright, yet fragile
Sprouting upon wobbly limbs,
Reaching for the sun in the sky.

It is a beginning.

With spring, comes strength.
Buds burst forward.
We are steadier,
As the winds bend us,
Rain revives us, and
The early years melt away.

It is the middle.

Blossoms slowly open
And the days warm—
So do we—Friendships mature
And the paths we’ve taken,
Grow more complex and take many turns.
Roads branch out in too many directions.

The sun beats down upon us and we bask in the freedom of it.

When fall comes, the
Roots of your past conjoin with each other.
They enables and entrap, and
As pages of life fall to the ground,
A multi-colored array of experiences
Scatter to the wind.

This is the wisdom bought and paid for with life.

Winter settles in and wraps
Around you as your roods grow
More and more tangles together
Until by spring again,
They have become one mass,
Showing lifetime of information,
Decisions made and choices taken.

In the beginning, spring
Brought us together with
The subtle beauty of a Cherry tree
From beneath the snow:
Its blooms peeking up
Begging to grow,
And the lifecycle continues
Until the last petal falls.

G Skye 2016/2017

Category: life