one bridal shower is another citizen's wake

one bridal shower is another citizen's wake

 

 

the cynic sits suffocating

on his own greed for satire

his poetry reeks of sardonic conjecture

his ruptured heart bleeds sarcasm

through sheets of unaccustomed irony

 

the wrinkles in his brow

become darker,

as early morning anchors

pull down his imagined shades

coverage of historic helots celebrating

vows

 

as he vows to find his next meal

his own engagement ring

a rubber band mind

trying to remember his last meal

 

the drink by his side

the coaster an old napkin

with some bleak poems smudging it

like sauce stains 

from that Italian Meal he only dreamed of

 

they wed,

and he seeks his next bed

in some discarded box

that probably once held a real bed

in which or on which

some vows were consummated

 

while he was begging for a couple dollars

to fill his stomach with more than a heart's emptiness

 

he stares into the store window

looking at 55 inches of tv he will never be able to afford

 

as the procession drifts down some British road

no panhandlers in sight.

 

and it's all High-Definition.

 

 

erin-cilberto

5/20/18 

Reviews

[Stella Armour]

He , the downtrodden poet has plenty to reflect on. On the other hand in many British streets , those begging for handouts want money ... not food because they want to feed their drug habit. I will give a sandwich but never money.
I do like the metaphorical way you have written this Jacob. He could of course divorce all this and make new wedding vows to clean his act up ?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really appreciate your words on this, Stella.
j.

[Riya patel]

What a beautiful social message!!
You used your imagination very well. Loved it so much.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Riya...appreciate your kind words,
j.

[Lydia Shutter]

Two sides of life....the haves and the never haves. Somehow, though, the man living in a box seems more real than the ones in that procession down the fancy road. I liked the imagery of the poetry on the napkin. Very powerful scene here, Jacob. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Lydi.
j.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

You give us a starving artist without shelter or sustenance, living on the outside looking in. While on every screen, on every street and intruding on his suffering, the rich and famous celebrate their charmed lives. Timely, relevant, powerful, stark poem filled with cynicism, reality and harsh truth. Great graphic language and imagery- “he seeks his bed in some discarded box..” You show us the Have-nots dying in the jewel encrusted wake of the Haves. Death in HD- brilliant and important work j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

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

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

You are most welcome j.:))

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

I am thinking about the marriage of a poet and his muse. Talk about a unstable relationship. But in the end they need each other to exist.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, they do...thank you for your words, Dale.
j.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

This is a splendid revelation on the separation of the classes.
Imagine what could be done in America if all the money spent in fast food joints were used to purchase grocery store meals and the remainder given to the poor. There are multitudes of injustices that the discerning observer takes note of. Everywhere one looks waste can be found...which is why we do our shopping mostly in second hand shops or discount grocery stores. I think being raised in poverty makes waste more offensive to a person. My mother preached it like a religion; "Waste not, want not!" and in a household with 8 kids and a single income, there was precious little to waste. But I maintain those lessons even today.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

my last twenty plus years...living on the edge...Ramen noodles and casseroles...yes...waste not..cannot afford that.
thank you, Fabian,
j.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

one of my mums old sayings ""Twas ever thus"" and my grandfather used to say "what is, is""
Even in the Queens mother's wedding it was probably the same though they probably didnt have the tvs then or the technology but they certainly had the pomp and pageantry, the poor get poorer the rich get richer, yes love your poem it shows that things dont change we step over the poor or ignore them completely. We have homeless in sydney here too all over the world your poem spoke a lot to me thanks so much Jacob take care

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for sharing those thoughts with me, Julie...
j.

[Norman 223]

Your contrasts between the haves and the have-nots is even more poignant,Jacob, when you realise that it is the taxes that pay for the pomp and pageantry. Through modern media, however it is presented as though it is a long running "gift" to the nation.
N.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so true, Norman...we all pay one way or another...the poorest of us.
j.

[sette]

so nicely written and i like the flow of words so smooth

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, sette..
j.

[Neville]

Nail/head springs to mind... my word you have managed to salvage and capture some incredible images and a myriad of subliminal messages spring to mind... Well said, I say, my Friend..... N

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Neville.
j.