the unkind toll of the bells

inspired by Marcie Shepherd's "the self is as self does"

the unkind toll of the bells

 

 

 

 

benevolent mistrust,

the pleading hand slapped---

rebuked, 

money weeping in a pocket of shame

 

those few dollars that could fill a stomach

retracted with thoughts of empty wine bottles

or the next fix

 

Christmas in the alleyway,

the present of a cigarette,

a morsel of food wrapped in waste paper

no ribbons, no pretty bows,  

 

just slow souls dying

long before the body gives way

and that old trench coat is the home

of a heart seen in the eyes of a beggar

 

And all he wanted for Christmas,

was to survive one more day,

with a bit of dignity.

 

 

erin-cilberto

12/20/15

Reviews

[A hare off]

"with a bit of dignity" This line makes breathing hard, thinking about the homeless, alone on the cold unforgiving streets, hanging on to anything for warmth, wishing for someone to be nice to them, to understand, it can happen to anyone. Really deep and sad Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, A hare.

j.

[Zahra]

And all he wanted for Christmas,
was to survive one more day,
with a bit of dignity.

Hit really hard, heart-breaking and sad. We talk about compassion but the fact is that there are always such people overlooked while we live inside our shells.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Zahra..
j.

[emmajoy]

' And all he wanted for Christmas, - was to survive one more day, - with a bit of dignity.'

That final word strikes a real cord with me. We can stick money in collecting tins, can offer someone pennies for a cuppa, can post a cheque to a well.known charity, etc.. But, how does one actually give DIGNITY to another human being? It's not something that happens with a click of fingers, it's respect shown year long, year after year after year. It's forgetting self.

Your wonderfully empathic poem holds the heart of that. Tis beautiful, jacob.. tis real. tis the very truth of life..

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review. emma.

j.

[emmajoy]

mean it, absolutely.. hand on heart, jacob..

[redzone]

and Jacob, it seems you have given it to him (them).. dignity... and this sometimes is as good as, if not better than a hot meal... not to say a hot meal is not also necessary, but the meal feeds only the body and often come with a price (guilt) but the dignity feeds their humanness..

I enjoyed your poem very much Jacob, written in the spirit of kindness, one human being to another...

redzone

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, Curt...

j.

[W.k.kortas]

It's the Shepherd poem (quite remarkable in its ownself) tossed with a bit of Jethro Tull's Christmas Song and Art Carney's Serling-esque Santa of so many decades ago, all tossed together with the deftness of language which is your hallmark. A bit of dignity, yes.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, W.k. and yes, Marcie's poem is amazing...

j.

[andrew mitchell]

The forgotten ghosts, the homeless live amongst us with government aid going abroad! I don't like this show of fake compassion to the world as our fellow men and women rot in the grandeur of politics of false offerings like we as a country really care! Terrible. Nice right J

[samiha zubair]

How we utilize the blessings that we have marks the birth of a seed which we can sow later

[jacob erin-cilberto]

such insightful words, thank you, samiha...

j.

[Marcus Sergiu David]

Well written and told. A message for all of us.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Marcus...
j.

[CD Campbell]

It's a message that should make us realize we're all lucky. In this day and age there should not be any homeless or hungry. But we're all slaves to the body. Addiction and insanity. Great write. CD

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, CD.

j.

[M. Shepherd]

Oh man, the guilt of bounty and the guilt of the guilt of at least relative bounty, that warranted or unwarranted distrust per situation, who's to guage accurately who we give or not give to, except ourselves and those we trust, but an uninured rationality will not fight off plagues of compassion, I'm on this train as well, journey after journey and each time is aa wretched as the last.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Marcie...and for the inspiration for this piece.

j.

[M. Shepherd]

Of course! :) thrilled to have inspired.