aboard the Pequod

 

aboard the Pequod

 

 

 

shallow tears,

improvised lump in his throat

his lips form patterns of prevarication

 

his eyes water with witless excursions

away from truths

into his own sphere of sinful supposing

 

but those who know him

beg him to sit back down

engage in some silently strained morality 

 

yet he stands, tall and straight

in stature, with a prosthetic heart

of his own imagining

 

says what he will

while gazing into cold, dark eyes

that return the blows with the patience of Job

 

knowing what he spews

is a whale of lies 

even Jonah

 

could not stand to live inside.

 

 

erin-cilberto

3/9/2020

Reviews

[Ted Kniffen]

'Call me Ishmael.'
A great opening for a powerful book that may have been an allegory by Melville of the state of things back then. Ahab in pursuit of the whale could have been Lincoln battling the Civil War, and the unfortunate Ishmael may have been Melville himself...who I believe fought in that conflict.

Good one again j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

most interesting and insightful review, Ted...
and He might have.
j.

[Ted Kniffen]

I stand corrected. After a little research, Melville's book 'The Whale' was published in 1851 and although he wrote several poems about the civil war, he never served in uniform...must have gotten confused with Whitman. Sorry...:>{

[barleygirl]

It would be tempting to compare this deeply-stabbing pen portrait to someone in the public sphere we all love to hate, but I'm afraid the ahab curse is one fully borne by humans in general & their penchant for fomenting over perceived inequities. This is especially powerful for me, since I read this book not long ago (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Margie,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

The Pequod I know from my much younger years was the ship used in hunting down Moby Dick. The hunting of that magnificent creature an absolute no no in my eyes, although the book certainly provided much excitement. Maybe the he in your lines is a bit like Capt Ahab, a man with a vendetta.a man who doesn't know when to quit. Someone who will cut off his nose to spite his face. Not sure about this one Jacob, but he sounds to have a problem. Maybe he is a bit of a hypocrite.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really like where you took this, Chris...
and it make so much sense,
j.

[Robert Trakofler]

wow whomever you write of must of been a rather a terrible fellow to pen such a clever analogy for the likes of Jonah and Ahab to be referenced by your sharp and witty pen Sir Jacob I am not quite that cunning when enraged I must admit wish I was but the Irish in... well the force is strong in me:)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

well, trust the force, bunny.
thank you for your kind words...yes, a terrible fellow...that is the truth.
j.

[kentuck14]

J
Interesting meditation on Ahab and his obsession with his whale. A splendid study of what anger and revenge can do to the spirit and soul of a man. Melville was one of our first post-modern writers before things got modern. Love that line: "with a prosthetic heart of his own imagining.' One that haunts the deck of the Pequod as much as the clomp of Ahab's wooden leg. A fine work here, jacob.
T

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, T.
I think this metaphor for most might have been lost at sea, there were parallels to an incident that happened that i witnessed last week....glad this meant something to you.
j.

[JamesTleBourn]

Wow. Very nicely written. Your imagery and allusions really pull it together. I love your use of Job and Jonah (both people who struggled with sin, as we all, but then they turned back to God afterwards) to emphasis the subject's sin but also to highlight the chances he lost, is loosing, and will very likely loose again. As I said, this is very good writing, and you are a very admirable writer. I have only been fully delving in poetry for the past three months: if you, being experienced, could read some of my stuff and give me feedback, I would be overjoyed.

- James

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i know this piece is somewhat abstract, but i appreciate you digesting it...and giving such an insightful review of it.
thank you, James,
j.