among them

among them

 

 

riff-raff floats among weeds

then clear green waters

fitting in then fitting out

rift-raft floats among weeds

only the demoted, degenerate, defeated

allowed to board

 

drift-draft of newcomers

the river gets shorter

spills more quickly into an ocean of losers

 

we refuse to wave as they pass by

holding the only hands that will touch theirs

 

while ours remain pristine

as we clutch our Bibles

and thank God

we can afford to swim.

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

4/7/24

Reviews

[Kim S.]

WOW!! I love that last stanza so much, so much truth in this write Jacob.
I loved this write.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Kim,
j.

[Fabian G. Franklin]

If I referenced this to scriptures, is not the presumed "holy" that will lead the procession into heaven because the first must come last and the last, first. Christ did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. He did not choose the "holier than thou" spoken of by Isaiah the prophet. He choose the lowly, the outcasts like Matthew, the wounded heart and the broken spirit and those of wavering faith like Peter and Thomas to be His closet followers. "Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:23 And He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:3 The rich have their rewards here on earth and they cling to those riches here. The poor hope, they love each other and they believe because these are necessities of their survival. The rich in his surety is often lost while the poor in his doubt is saved. Because God has chosen "the weak things of the world to shame the strong". 1 Corinthians 1:27 In a more physical and social sense we cannot go where we are not wanted and expect happiness to follow. We must learn to be happy where we are and to make that place better by being there. There is no "promised land" on this earth so we must look heavenward for our home. "they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13:14

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Fabian. Yes, the weak to shame the strong.
j.

[Desert Knave]

I wish this sounded like an unfamiliar side of religion, but it doesn't. Yeah, they all float on by and almost nobody wants to bring anyone to the shore. ~Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Jim....We do need to bring them to shore.

[Sami Khalil]

I believe in legal immigration. We need to find a solution for the illegal issue like worker's programs, temporary status, expedited asylum, or even close the border until further notice to put our house in order first. We better have documentation and information to allow them in if any. Divisive subject but there are valid solutions. Don't need the extreme ones on both sides.
An excellent reflective poem on our current issues.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Sami...appreciate your response.
j.

[Sami Khalil]

Yes siiiirrrrr. You are welcome

[Andrew John]

Some interesting comments on your piece, Jacob. I've enjoyed reading them - oh, and the poem, of course!

[Poetic Beauty]

The first stanza made me think of litter floating in the water and then I read on and well I guess the imagery still fits.

There is always a divide among financial classes or rather the snobby elite. Maybe one day we will realize we are all people. We all bleed the same color and have the same organs inside our bodies. And the profound judgement from those who call themselves Christians. I myself believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I am no where near perfect and I try not to look down on others. Don’t get me wrong I have and do unfortunately but I try not to be. I’m broken and that is why I God and Jesus.

Anyway sorry on the long side note. I love the play on words and the imagery you created in this poem. It is a topic on which allows our brains to think and maybe just maybe will push us to be better humans in general

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I appreciate your review, PB....never need to apologize for a longer response...Poets are happy when their poems can do this.
j.

[Poetic Beauty]

I like poems with play on words that get my mind thinking.

[Lorry]

This has a touch of the current migrant crisis here in the UK Jacob, with the desperate signing up to what is essentially slavery, if they make it across in the overcrowded flotation devices that pass as boats in the first place.
Then what do we do? We say no, we're full and then deport them back to where they came from, or worse.
I'm sure it's the same over there too. Didn't lady liberty welcome them once, before then vacancies sign were put up?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

My grandfather on my dad's side was an orphan who came over from Sicily and was naturalized...that is how we came to be. My dad grew up in New Jersey...right near that statue.
thank you, Lorry.
j.