where have all the epic poems gone?

where have all the epic poems gone?

A Poem by jacob erin-cilberto

where have all the epic poems gone?


the short poem
sat in the home,
pondering of when it was longer
more metaphoric,
deeper,

now it tries so hard 
to remember most of the words 
it once held in its iambic fingers
the heart beat has slowed
the rhythm losing its mind

the nurses feed him syllables
hold the thesaurus in front of him
he says he's cold,
feels the chill of obscure cadence
the clarity of stanza
flowing into some misfit wind of memory

the short poem
reaches for its blanket logic
but his fingers are too arthritic
to stretch toward the keys

and his talent is like a carriage
on an old typewriter too rusted
to return to the margins...


erin-cilberto
2/11/17

© 2017 jacob erin-cilberto


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Reviews

Bravo! A fantastic read. I felt so for the little poem. How you made it live :) That's talent! I.I.

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

thank you, I.I....

j.
Isabella Ivy

7 Years Ago

Any time j!
Fantastic work J, one of your top 5 best and i can't remember number one there's been so many. yes where have they gone, a bit like movies, in all the mass production one just stands out as an epic. Ben Hur comes to mind.

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

appreciate your kind words, andrew.

j.
It's in us all, just waiting to come out.
Unfortunately my epic writes always seem to be at funerals. Just never looks good taking notes at these sad times.

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

i don't know...i shall try forever to write the epic...but the muse has me in my niche---and that ki.. read more
jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

and we just keep trying...motivation....thanks, Paul.
j.
Paul Bell

7 Years Ago

I sometimes think you need to be despondent, or have tragedy hit you before you can write the epic.
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I do not think I can add to the superlatives that others have already spoken about this poem Jacob.. one of your best I think...

perhaps, the epic poems are left for you to discover and keep them alive... we poets are the needed story tellers....

redzone

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

thank you, Curt.

appreciate you.
j.
This was so elegantly written, I truly enjoyed this piece :) thank you for sharing!

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

thank you for your kind words, Ou va..

j.
Good lord this is MAGNIFICENT!
love it j. R xo

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

thank you, Rach...

j.
We hardly see formal poems coming from the youth. Tho the greatest inspiration comes from old, renowned poets like Shakespeare,Robert Frost, Edgar Allan Poe....just to name a few.
One of the best I've read, being honest.

Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

thank you for your words, Tazeen.

j.
The epic poem had its effect on me whilst still in short trousers. My ability to remember long phrases from them resulted in me getting high marks in English and English Literature exams. I can still annoy my wife when I quote lines from Shakespeare etc to back up any arguments :-))


Posted 7 Years Ago


jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

or lines from what was it "Thanatopsis" (spelling)?

i still do remember some of those.. read more
Norman 223

7 Years Ago

Thanks Jacob for mentioning Thanatopsis. I had never read it before. American poets were not on .. read more
jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

and if you look at that painting of Bryant...he looks very much like a heavily bearded John Gielgud... read more
the short poem
sat in the home,
pondering of when it was longer
more metaphoric,
deeper,

Posted 7 Years Ago


This comment has been deleted by the poster.
jacob erin-cilberto

7 Years Ago

thank you for reading, Allen.

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Shelved in 5 Libraries
Added on February 14, 2017
Last Updated on February 14, 2017

Author

jacob erin-cilberto
jacob erin-cilberto

Carbondale, IL



About
Originally from Bronx, NY, I live in Carbondale, Illinois...teach English at a community college and have been writing and publishing poetry since 1970. I am here to read for inspiration from other po.. more..

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