inhabitants of free will

inhabitants of free will

 

 

secret ghosts

appear to adorn

the walls

gravity vapors

communicating in undulating cloud

 

goodbye a word they never learned to accept

so the room is filled with uninvited guests

but at least they can't take anything with them

when they leave

 

and the hors d'oeuvres 

are merely secrets

of which we all partake

 

so nothing lost there

except a few cryptic

sips of conscience.

 

 

erin-cilberto

11/27/19

Reviews

[gram linski]

liked the ethereal vibe to this, j. like the ghosts were singing and dancing at their own party, while us mortals got in the way, good stuff

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, gram,
j.

[kentuck14]

J,
A trip into the philosophic and metaphysical subject of free will!!! Love that 2nd stanza!!! Oh, and yes, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th!!!!! Interesting piece my friend.
T

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, T.
j.

[Eilis]

Your title is big for me. Free will being a concept that baffles so many of us. We love the concept of choice, but so often the choices we make with that freedom come back to haunt us. World history is riddled with examples of free will wreaking havoc. But on a personal level, it impacts us every day.

The web of choices we make. So many things that could be different if we had just turned left instead of right --or whatever the choice for the day. I love how you turn that cast of choice characters into physical manifestations, of a sort, here. But at the same time, they only have the power, in this poems landscape, that we afford them. They don't seem actually capable of exerting any force on anything--just shadows that can cause us to act in ways we may regret.

It's an interesting concept. Almost like a cocktail party for ghosts the way you have framed it. A cool poem, Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and i have been to enough cocktail parties as a kid, to get your reference...thank you for your insightful review, Eilis.
j.

[Christine Anne Shaw]

Ghosts of past lovers, uninvited come back to taunt us. We have no say in the matter, they just barge in when least expected. They invade our space and can leave us feeling unsettled and will leave again only when they are ready. They may steal our time but at least they can't take our material possessions with them.

gravity vapors
communicating in undulating cloud

love that to describe memories.
Another fine write Jacob.

Chris

[Lydia]

Can we truly erase memories? I don't think so. I think they are stored deep within our psyches no matter how distasteful they may be and they sneak out at the worst times. That was one way I read your words. The other, well, has to do with Washington DC and I try not to comment politically! Truth is, there should be a mandatory retirement or term limits! Good one, Jacob. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, limits...i can see that....and i can see how this might have sounded politically motivated..although my leanings might have been more toward the former idea.
i appreciate your review, Lydi
j.

[Alexandra G.]

Such and amazing piece, thanks so much!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Alexandra...
j.

[emmajoy]

' goodbye a word they never learned to accept.. '

The weirdness of what we feel is often what we won't admit, perhaps. Snippets of memories, people, actions. And, at times, when our bodies evict uncontrollably,, unusually, those secret ghosts appear, just for the hell of it. But then, is that due to ghostly phantoms or guilty conscience I wonder? An inverted indiscriminate personal deja vu?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

those are really good questions, em?
i think i am just find with weirdness....perhaps they are special ghosts just for poets to see and feel.
thank you,
j.

[DIVYA]

Stubbornly hanging on...Their presence seems intrusive without being invasive. Made me think of wily old politicians hanging on, despite their time being long over...they just won’t accept their demise.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, politicians, like old boxers, just don't know when to get out of the ring.
thank you, DIVYA..
j.

[DIVYA]

You’re most welcome, Jacob.

[R.E. Ray]

J., I think those secret ghosts often sneak up behind us, and sometimes wrap us in a shared sad history. They are the often the faces of regret, shame and all the images from our worst times. Free will is a blessing and burden, so it seems when these ghosts appear. So many deep thoughts leaking out with this one.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, yes, R.E.
i totally agree with your sentiments..."shared sad history"--
thank you,
j.

[Jimmy Yetts]

First stanza is pure poetry; last two stanzas are clever culinary metaphors.
I enjoyed, most, the second stanza--regarding squatting apparitions who are unable to pilfer.
In this poem's universe, "free will" appears to be a place.
Even had you, audaciously, told me to "enjoy" this piece, I would have had no choice but
to do just that.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words...i think "free will" is a place...
j.