Something Good

The stillness of the morning
Caresses me, lulls me into a
Trance, taking me away to
My own lost planet, left for
Millennia to mine my own
Shadow. Serenity, come to me.
There is no need to meditate,
Or contemplate, or engage
In any such self-reflection,
For it is enough to be there
In the here and the now,
Apart from the present
Calamity, sowing the seeds
Of simplicity. Wishing that
The snow globe of life
Would stop its shaking so
That we may settle in this
Scene sitting in the silence
Of a fresh start brought to
Us by the gold of the sun
Breaking over the far horizon.
Reveling in the renewal
Raining down through the
Justice and mercy of friends
And family, allowing us to
Truly be who we are, without
The burden of a rushed
Judgment or an unwarranted
Sentence. Free to be you
And me, each in our own
Newly discovered world,
Separated in this universe
But never alone on our
Lost planet waiting for
Our civilizations to find
The means of traveling
Among the stars to make
Even more new discoveries.
And in the anticipation, this
One thought reverberates,
I just know that something
Good is going to happen.

-Dakin 10/16/09

Barrier

Tear down this wall that
Separates us from our
Neighbors, keeping us silently
Entrenched in our own known
Universe, forever imprisoned
In a false xenophobic pride.
Can you not see that the two
Eyes that look over the horizon
Are of the same soul as your
Own? I do not claim
That there is no perversion
Of purity, that there is
No evil in the darkest
Desperations, but I recognize
It for an aberration that
Fuels the fire of wanton
Destruction and understand
That it belongs to a small
Segment of renegade reactionaries.
A much larger sea shelters
Our shared village earth,
Collecting us in the coral,
Currents seeking to drive us
Together in the tumult.
Do not confuse the simple
Misunderstanding for
Something more sinister. The hate
Will out of its own accord
And no rational relation, a
Mere six degrees away,
Will revel in such repression,
But will respond with revulsion.
It is time to return to respect.

-Dakin 10/2/09

Set Adrift

On this cold summer morning,
As I sit and stare at nothing,
Thinking of life’s lasting journey
Taking me to islands far
From the shores of peaceful comfort
To where the wild things now are,
Cruelly tempted by past visions
That time and space have warped;
Lost in memories forgotten,
A list of names without a face.
And as dark clouds roll above me,
As my stomach churns and knots,
I discharge my introspection
To release from me my fear.
For it is choice that I have chosen;
It is age behind my years,
An oasis in the desert
That slakes this thirst that harbors me.
So if now I do feel a hunger,
I can satisfy that need,
Though I’ll have to leave this haven
And strike out on my own way soon.
I am prepared to wander
Among the packs of ravenous wolves
Cloud by day, flame by night,
Lead me ever closer now
To that future reconciling
Of my present circumstances.
I am here and I am willing;
I am brave and I will walk
Among the wild things beside me
For it is this that makes me strong.

-Dakin 6/18/08

Celebrate

The sun shines down on
Another perfect day sending
Music to my ears, filling
My soul; a sweet serenade
That entrances my senses,
Eyes closed to a world of
Distraction allowing me to
Meditate on this melody
Leading me over this path;
Ribbons of signature sound
Beckoning to me to sing along.
My stumbling gait evolving
Into the assured quickstep of
Dance. A pivot here just to feel
The freedom of a corner turned,
Rising and falling with the
Crescendo of chorus echoing off
The life and land lined around
My exhibition, a showcase of
Unrehearsed steps, breaking into
A run, stopping for a moment
To kick and to jump freely,
Willing the pulsing beat that
Has so enraptured my focus
To renew its redolent rhythms,
A never ending promenade made
Now to draw us to the ultimate
Communion of celebration.
Come to me now, I beg,
May I have this dance?

-Dakin 9/4/09

Anticipation

Like the watched pot that
Finally boils, the bubbling of
Unrestrained joy rises inside
Making me flush with the heat of
This erupting geyser. A dream
That has no awakening to call
This cinematic spectacle to end,
As a lethargy of contentment
Buries my ability to focus on
Anything of substance but the
Promise that the dawning day
Of tomorrow will bring the hope
Of happiness foreshadowed, pure
Elation of justice finally delivered
Where it is long overdue, the gift
So long desired finally given over
To accepting hands. The sun shall
Rise and, before it has set, the
Wonder and wishing will have
Withdrawn into the new reality
Made of our own choosing.
The challenge to endure and
To persevere has been answered,
Successfully navigating the first leg
Of the long journey on which we
Embarked with wide-eyed innocence
When even that single task, now laid
To rest, seemed so very daunting.
So close now we are there, and the
Anticipation that has labored long
Upon us has been repaid in full
With the smiles of a new serenity.
The shadow disappears, the image
Is made whole in unclouded vision.

-Dakin 8/27/09

Closer

Keeping my fingers gripped
Hanging off this lifeline’s ledge
Can sometimes be exhausting to the
Point of wishing for the slip, to begin
To descend, seeking some sort of
Unending restful slumber alone
Away from the stress of self-sacrifice,
Away from the sanctimonious seat
Of judgment society so often exercises
Over our daily stumbles. I am not
Afraid to admit that my mistakes
Have made me who I am today
And for forevermore to come, yet my
Personal convictions cast their net to
Capture the clarion sentiment that
It truly is about finding forgiveness
Of self and society, mores and norms
Transcended by the tantalizing truth
That no matter what our eyes may
Define for our static senses, those
Deepest wounds really are healed
Only by finding faith in the fact that
This path has been paved for a reason,
Regardless of one’s religiosity and tenets,
Or subscription to philosophies and
Fates, yearning for that time when
The puzzle pieces itself together, when
Everything finally falls in line and we
Stand witness watching in wonder
How profoundly perfect the chaos of
Creation resolves of its own accord,
Resonating with unsurpassed melody
Lifting our stumbles in choreography,
A dance slowly evolved from shadows
Cast in the moonlight of younger yesterdays,
Waiting there for me, waiting for you,
Climbing back to stand above this cliff,
Never knowing what brought us here.

Dakin 6/10/09

Axios! (For Kevin…)

Sometimes the night is beautiful,
But sometimes it drifts so far away
From us and from the longing of our
Hearts, from our desires and our dreams.
But take inventory, my friend, look to
That sky and be reminded that you
Gaze upon those same stars shown
To Abraham, and that one of those stars
Was lit long, long ago, predestined as a
Powerful symbol that you are here at
This year, this day, this hour, this moment
For a reason, and should you ever stumble,
You will never be beyond reach. That where
You are is where you are meant to be and
All will come to pass in its proper time.
That the speed bumps of life serve only
To provide a pause, not to stall our
Purpose. And there amidst the chaos,
There still rises a pillar of cloud by day,
A tower of fire by night, settling our steps
Forward to a more perfect place, a
Higher call, for this time of our passing
Is but temporal and only a shadow of
Glories to come in our eternal reunions.
I have all faith that through this you will,
As sung by a modern prophet,
Continue to work to give faith
Hands and feet, and through that
Will instead give it wings.

To you, and to the world, I say now
Axios! He is worthy indeed.
And hierarchies and establishments may
Engage in barter and trade and politics,
May relish traditions and trappings,
But at the core, they are all the product of
Man, and should the divinity choose,
All that has been constructed shall come
To pass and a new order is designed.
For even the Levites can be succeeded
By Melchizedek, and a new path is provided.
And as you seek your answers and guidance
Take heart and find comfort in this simple but
Powerful benediction I now bestow upon
You and your broken and humbled heart,
Love has come and it has given to all of us
Hope to carry on. Selah.

Dakin 6/20/09

Set Free

Like so many bears restless in their
Enclosures, housed within a zoo,
Made to be a public spectacle,
I feel the desire to be set free
From the false shelter that holds this
Longing locked down, and to escape
Away to another shelter of my
Own making. This soul search
Centered in my present perspective,
Colored by the crayons of a thousand
Yesterdays. Blinded by trees from
The view of the forest of my natural
Habitat, everything that has no value
Just seems to get in the way time and
Time again. Distractions of shiny
Allure capturing my sight, pulling
Me away from my purpose to
Persevere, to procure the key to
Unlock this cage, to roam the
Open world where the wild things
Wander. Reflected in my vision,
The tantalizing treasure of freedom
From the four walls that surround me
Daily, to seek out the promise of
New life, new hope and new dreams
That my recurring visions view in the
Distance, beyond the bars that will
Not bend despite my constant pulling.
But there is a hope, and there lives a
Dream and a constant echoing from
The chorus of voices that have broken
Their own bonds before me
Telling me to have faith and to
Hold on for just a little while longer.
That storms may rage outside our
Cell tempting us to stay in our prison,
But we need only take heart and
Be strong, for I can see ahead that
The rainbow lies within our reach.

-Dakin 6/26/09

Surrender

It never comes easy, this trust thing,
A thought that holds us captive to the
Familiar, that places on us the restraints
That tether us when we would, with
Reckless abandon, otherwise, run fast
Forward to where we know, somewhere
Inside, that we really want to be –
Free from the worry, released from
Caution, hurled into the wind. But
Now what pledge is there to promise that
Has not already been made, what vow
May be voiced that has not yet been given
Breath, what longing need be expressed
That lies still dormant in our daily
Thoughts? Amidst the cacophonous crescendo
Of this world, the inane babbling of a
Billion souls, I search again for that one
Perfect word with which to win you over,
But I know that such is merely a frenetic
Fancy of imagination, for no word nor
Phrase may fully deflect us away from
The fear that the fire might sear us
Once more. Although the truth is that
Time tends to trade on those flames,
Forever focusing us on the security
That accompanies the sheer steadfastness
Of heart, demonstrated over the course
Of another today together; leading us
Along, measured by moments, mere
Snapshots of life like the photographs
Framed by the camera’s shutter and,
Then, even before we become aware, we
Have arrived at that single moment of certain
Surrender making us ready to jump.

-Dakin 7/10/09

Nonpareil

I am on fire
From years of yearning
Fear of each new dread
Flame of consumption
I’m settled under sky
A canopy of clouds
No roof to divert
The showering rain
Electrostatic bolt
Coursing down using
My form to find
Its ground to discharge
Engulfing the physical
Life that until now
Has made up me
Now burned away
Stripping me raw
Revealing the phoenix
Buried beneath these cells
Rising again in rebirth
And climbing higher
Than ever before
In flight with wings
Feathers aflame
Indeed I am now
On fire

Dakin 7/23/09

Horizon

The burden weighing on
My stooped shoulders,
Manages me, measures
My responses to the global
Crises culled from Earth’s
Corners, canned in these
Processed clips my eyes
Scan each morning on
The screen from which I get
My daily dose of the world’s
Dearth and drama, reduced
To digestible portions so that
Once consumed we can all
Go quietly about the rest of
Our better business. The
Truth is, that while the
Suffering of billions of
Souls surrounds our own
Sheltered solitude, we stand
So often rooted in our own
Righteous indignation,
Incensed at the injustice,
Yet unable to respond in
Any more active of manner.
Realizing my limited scope
Of vision, bordering perhaps
On the xenophobic, though
Unintentionally, I crave
For my own part, a more solid
Meal, seeking to see through
The eyes of a host of others
Outside my usual universe
To acquire a more perfect
Understanding of this
Life and how to live it.

-Dakin 8/7/09

Memory

Numbers tumble in my
Thoughts, the pen scratches
Another mark across the
Box before me, resigning
The passage of another day
To its burrow, never to be
Visited again. Yet, that
Singular metaphor captured
On the glossy page among
Thirty plus others, a photo
Of stunning natural wonder
Capping them all, pinned
Eye-level on the wall, keeps
For me another layer of
Life images spent in the
Security of life’s company.
Together we conquered the
Alien beast that beset us,
Finishing our fight that we
Had before left for another
Day, which in turn, became
Yesterday. And the peace
That now envelops the
Burning ache that has become,
Of late, too familiar, directs
My focus to another number
Nestled not far from that
Of today. The box for
Which all these others
Stand row upon row,
Leading up in an unbroken
Line to the driven destiny
Of a date long looked for,
Bringing together the sum
Of these past many days,
Making you, for tomorrow
And for all time to come,
My living Memory.

-Dakin 8/14/09