an empty cab's confusion

an empty cab's confusion

 

roads close

construction agendas

patchwork relationships

approaching dead ends,

pot holed feelings, deeply embedded

in heart's anonymity

the lonely trucker looking for love

and driving himself insane

 

spinning his wheel

steerage is where his feelings now lie

and when the rain comes

it washes away what could be his road to salvation

 

when his license expires

his last thought

will be of you.

 

 

erin-cilberto

4/12/18

Reviews

[Neville]

I used to cadge lifts on a regular basis, often in all weathers and all over Europe, on bad days, only truck drivers would pull up and offer a ride..... Never once asked for anything but a bit o company along the road to somewhere or another.... In all those years, I never got a lift with the same guy twice..... I reckon you have captured the essence of trucker and trucking here jacob.......Thanks for the ride.........Neville

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Neville.
j.

[Neville]

Thank you for providing the motivation.....twas an enjoyable read...............

[Ted Kniffen]

j.
My father was a trucker. His license expired many years ago.
I spent many an hour riding in the cab with him...memories I still treasure.
This is an apt description of a life few understand. The toll taken on families, not to mention the loneliness of being on the road weigh heavily.

When I read the title it brought to mind Churchill's quote on Clement Atlee. To paraphrase, 'an empty cab pulled up to 10 Downing St. and Atlee got out'.

Not the same cab I know, just the first thing that popped into my mind.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for that tidbit about Churchill...i like that...and for sharing how you related to this, Ted.
j.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

X hubby drive cabs in city for years lots of night shifts
Great poem

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Julie...
j.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I used to work the early morning shift in a little diner years ago. At that time of day, we got a lot of truckers, and boy could those guys put away some grub...and coffee. They're a rare breed of men, when you consider all they sacrifice being on the road for days, even weeks, stopping occasionally for food, yet hungrier still for some one on one conversation. What a great piece you've written here, Jacob!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Kelly.
j.

[Leslie Philibert]

An excellent write, as all the reviews here note. I like especially the thematic unity of the imagery, for example with L8 you turn around a well known phrase and give it contextual relevance, in the same way L9.
So you create fresh, emotive imagery here - a fine job.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you are a very kind poet, Leslie...and such an amazing talent...a compliment from you means so much.
j.

[Kelly Scheppers]

Nicely noted, Leslie!

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

The loneliness of the long-distance trucker- (aren’t we all subject to this), as your melancholy poem so aptly portrays...erudite wordplay, excellent metaphor, striking imagery...”driving himself insane”- brilliant. Saw so many truckers on the drive home from Florida- the trucks like huge monsters with dark-tinted eyes...Hope his love is waiting for him at the next weigh station. Great poem j.:)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind review, Annette.
j.

[Beccy]

The twists and turns of life's rocky road perfectly captured. It's mostly the stop signs that confuse me.

Beccy.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

they confuse me too, Beccy...
thank you ...
j.

[Ardra]

Oh...that's such poem...which makes me go Awwww... :)
Very sad for the lonely truck driver...I hope he gets the lady who he seeks on his way to his salvation... :))

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Ria.
j.

[Alfred Kukitz]

it turns out to be a 44 cents a mile feeling with no paycheck in sight.

regards,
al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Al.
j.

[Einstein Noodle]

oh man! what a terrible place to be ...the heart wrenching confusion twists my soul brother ...really like the trucker ...driving himself insane ... haven't we all been there ... strong emotive rubber hits the road poem says i! sheesh! i' all wound up in anxieties now ... must find the poem about flowers or something ;)
E.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, E.
j.