a child's plea, not naming names

a child's plea, not naming names

 

 

brow-beaten lines

catastrophic immunity

Mr. President,

please stop and listen,

in fact,

please just stop

 

mail me your ballot

then your heart,

then your soul

Mr. President

please stop and listen

in fact

please just stop

 

i want my education,

i want to go back to school

i need to be in the classroom

instead of this hospital bed

trying to take notes with all these needles in my arms

and my weak pen getting weaker

Could i borrow your textbook, Mr. President

have you finished school?

or do you still need it?

 

i had family once

you can't be blamed for how this started

but you could be blamed for how it has not ended

Mr. President

please stop and listen,

in fact,

please just stop

 

i write letters to the dead

but there is no one left

to deliver them.

 

 

erin-cilberto

8/20/2020

Reviews

[Lorry]

"in fact, just please stop"... I fear your eloquence, empathy and sincerity have been for naught, as it isn't preceded by a hashtag, so he'll probably ignore it or his go to "fake news" it.
As for his education, perhaps he should move on from briefly browing wikipedia and spouting facts from it, as he doesn't seem to be very good at it.
He was caught out last year when he started shouting at the press contingent about some country they werent discussing. Can't remember which country it was, but he just started ranting about it... "Do you know the populstion of....., I do! Its fifteen million."
That was his actual quote.
Within a minute, press started laughing. They had went on to wiki and saw his mistake instantly. Top of page read the country, followed by "15M." his brief perusal turned out to be wrong. Population was 4 million and the 15M turned out to be 15 metres above sea level.
So there you have it, his expertise involves reading the first line of a wiki page... Wrongly 😀
Do they still have night school in Washington? 😀

[jacob erin-cilberto]

oh Metres, million...what's the difference"
It is what it is...or maybe it isn't? yes, fake news...fake empathy...fake is so sad.
thank you, Lorry,
j.

[Lorry]

Fake is the new real. Real has been made redundant, despite it's time served with nary a blemish on its record. Now where have I heard that before? 😀

[redzone]

very powerful poem Jacob.... the results of living in a fascist america and will get worse if not removed from office or soundly defeated in the election.... but everything points to he won't leave and a different kind of battle is in the cards.... what will people do??? we already see what his people will and are doing... we already see what it has meant these past 4 years, the deaths, the camps already filled with immigrants, etc etc etc.... do we really want america's version of germany circa 1936???
the child in your poem is "helpless" sick, but we are not...

it's great you wrote this Jacob, it is much needed and it packs the needed wallop

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Curt.
j.

[John the Baptist]

The entire work is deeply moving, but the last verse really nails it. Indeed, the man can't be blamed for the beginning of the thing, but he sure can be for the prolonged ending, if and when it occurs.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your understanding review, John,
j.

[An owl on the moon]

Such a powerful, aching glimpse of our world... awakening... and yet sleeping... lost... gone never to return again. May the words resonate always.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, owl.
j.

[AJNJ]

This is a very compelling and telling read for me. The grief, dejection and loss comes through. How could he get it so wrong? Very sad indeed. I hope better things follow.....

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I hope so too, Peston.
thank you,
j.

[AJNJ]

You're most welcome, dear sir.

[Dave Brown]

you have certainly hit a sore spot here
words can't express the extent of this terrible mess

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, unfortunately....thank you, Dave,
j.

[Papaya]

This is a sad dose of reality. The number of deaths on the US is staggering in comparison to other countries. Mr. President has completely mismanaged this crisis. Sad to think of a child in hospital without family. This is a moving write.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Ana...this just devastates me...

j.

[Chris Shaw]

Pandemic has left the whole world feeling vulnerable. Where we are treading in unknown waters, we look for leadership which is strong and decisive. It we haven't got it, it leads to even more vulnerability. Difficult times. Strong piece. I heard ya. Come back and read again. It is a really moving poem. So many people have suffered and continue to suffer. And the situation doesn't seem to be improving.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

And some times it is decisive in the wrong direction...thank you for your insightful words, Chris.read moreAnd some times it is decisive in the wrong direction...thank you for your insightful words, Chris.
j.