Lucky Strikes

Lucky Strikes

 

 

woke up to 1968,

a cigarette

an alarm set too late for class

attendance in life

is an all-night game of hearts

and we all got the queen of spades

 

mislaid our ideals

overslept for the next generation

felt the compressed state of fluctuation

grow up

wise up

fed-up

give up

 

pull the covers tight

avoid the fright

of a future erasing the identity

of what we once saw in the mirror

 

it's the grayest moment

now

color only assimilated

life is getting its screen test

no live shows now

no intended marches

coming to fruition

change has changed

for better or worse

 

we are all walking, carrying signs for something

but all of our legs are tied together

a duct taped causal amusement

the laughing establishment

comments on the prehistoric nature of our actions

as we look for lines in coffee cups

or online scam sites

 

it's a new day,

we have been baptized 

in electrical water,

i need a screen saver,

there must be life in there somewhere

 

but i just remember seeing people

once

i was human

i had another cigarette.

 

 

erin-cilberto

5/7/2021

Reviews

[h d e rushin]

Like Michael Corleone told senator Leary, "We're all part of the same hypocrisy senator". I was too little during the riots in Detroit in 67 but the "sole brother" sign was still present on my fathers garage many years later that he refused to erase. I think he left it there, unpainted over, as a spiritual legacy left by past generations for future generations. This is the blood on the doorway for every male child to consider as "heritage" to life derived from ancestry. In 96 Lucky Strikes commercials extolled the virtue of our bravery. A year later, my dad died of heart disease.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for sharing, dana, and I am sorry at what happened to your dad, but bravo to him for leaving that sign up...
thank you, my friend,
j.

[LCat80star]

Another splendid piece I happen to come across. I believe this one projects the destruction of the modern generation through the use of technology. I often get frustrated especially by the levels of scams appearing on every sites as texts, adverts etc. Really nice message and conveyed beautifully.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I hear ya, Lavi...technology, blessing or curse...
I might take the latter.
j.

[red93]

Liking this a lot as I smoke my 4th rollup of the day at 0730 GMT. I like the way it is set out, and the adept Free Verse phrasing.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, red.
j.

[Fran Marie]

it's a new day
we have been baptized
in electrical water,

that it is ..LSMFT
on the bottom of each
pack how we smoked
those LS s one after the other

Now people vape
even the cigarettes
have gone into
the electrical waters
no more fine tobacco
no more fine anything imo

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so true, Fran....no more fine anything...
and we don't even have the extra margin in life that Parliaments use to give us.
thank you for your words...
I miss those days.
j.

[MCS]

a thought provoking read, you my friend have a gift for doing just that
I don’t usually spend much time looking back but 1968 sounds really good about now
and I miss stepping out for a smoke

[jacob erin-cilberto]

that year was a mixture...but I wouldn't mind going back...thank you for your words, Mary,
j.

[Paul Bell]

I think the equivalent of lucky strikes in Britain would be, Woodbines or Park drive in a five pack cos that was all we could afford. Those were the days you smoked, everything was fried to death, you eat sandwiches thrown out the window, and miraculously we survived into adulthood. Now my phone tells me all those things will kill me stone dead. Just love technology.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and we shared our orange soda with three friends...
had the five second rule on food dropped on the floor...yes.
thank you for your response, Paul,
j.

[Paul Bell]

Five-second rule and puddles, where was the Geneva convention then.

[Sami Khalil]

The changes we seek sir Jacob with good intentions might happen in our lifetime or down the road with the next generation. Even if we lose, the ideals are still there, the values are still worthy. I feel the writer longs tp those ideal movements of the past but laments the state of our affairs now. You should be proud that you led a good fight, learned to live with adversity and sharpened your skills down the cat alleys. Your star will ever shine.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

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

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome sir Jacob.

[andrew mitchell]

This read like nothing really changes, people still disappoint never living up to our expectations.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

at times, yes, that is so true.
thank you, andrew,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Oh my, reading these lines Jacob reminds me of how much has changed since I was eighteen.

the laughing establishment
comments on the prehistoric nature of our actions

we have been baptized in electrical water

the current scene with social distancing, not mixing with people.

You know I think I need that ciggie now while I go on a nostalgia trip back to where I belong. Great write.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Chris,
j.

[Clockwork]

Jacob, after a long time away, this is the first poem I'm reading on Writers Cafe. Your characteristically spot on social commentary is what I needed today. I see a lot of my themes that apply to my (millennial generation) -- especially with the line "overslept for the next generation."

As always, I admire how your work is truly rooted in the world, rooted in place, rooted in tactile sensations and things.

I also really like the idea about things that restore our humanity, even with the weight of existence. So I love that ending image of being able to see and feel clearly after having a cigarette.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, and it is really good to see you back again...
j.