I probably wrote this same poem 50 years ago

So many compelling poems I have read here lately, with voices crying out against the senseless violence here and all over the world, inspired this.

I probably wrote this same poem 50 years ago

oh, just give me an assault rifle

and let me blow the phrases away

that school me in poetic classrooms

Lines drawn, lines written, lines destroyed

a violent pen ceases to write with heart

a disinterested pen refuses to sift through feelings

I am getting too old to walk in these iambic hallways

where the beat fires out sounds of chaos

the world is an oyster which has lost its pearl

to the demons of catastrophic cadence

there is not a safe poem anywhere

even the churches get their altars stripped of faith

the man upstairs needs to come downstairs

and hold up his hand, 

to halt the madness before there is not one book of poetry

left to sell to a dying breed

of idealists laboring to instill

some kind of aplomb to words

so that a dozen or so may stop and listen

stop and read

stop and put down the guns

stop and surmise

a sunrise that might come

with a blessed silence.

erin-cilberto

6/3/22

Reviews

[lightsong]

Deeply heartfelt, heartaching... your discontent, anger and frustration all are strong but the way You expressed them in a balanced steady poetical way instead of throwing these feelings all over the page. This is original Mr. J, unfortunately I also think You wrote this 50 years ago because it seems violence increased instead of discreasing.

Peace 🤍✨🕊️

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I really appreciate your insights, lightsong,
j.

[William Michael Reeves]

Oh wow! This was excellent! And dropped the aplomb bomb. 'The demons of catastrophic cadence' have made it so there is not a safe poem anywhere. A safe room. To be safe the safe rooms in the future will be so locked down the students can't get in or out. Maybe that's where we're headed.

I don't know if they'll listen. Hope so. But I do see something happening up here. Almost every day the police are disarming people who make threats. Even if it's just a BB gun. Society is on it's toes right now.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Bill...and yes, Society is on high alert.
those in Washington need to be....and need to do something about all that is going on in this country...we help other countries while ours is in such dire need of that help.
for many reasons.

thank you for your words,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

'the world is an oyster which has lost its pearl' powerful line J. It says so much. My mind was drawn to the continuing atrocities in this world. Some of which are home grown and could be sorted. Others, sitting on a knife edge while a madman plays his power games. The man upstairs has gone awol. Nothing changes.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind and thoughtful review, Chris,
j.

[andrew mitchell]

Just goes to show somethings never change maybe just a scratch on the surface but the problem is still there and it’s all mind set.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, andrew,
j.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you for sharing this poem with us, J. We live in difficult times. Where some in our society lack an interest towards truth. Where their belief moves them towards disingenuous faith and hypocrisy. In order to use deciet in nefarious ways to shape a society they deem un-virtuous. Where the lie in their eyes become the truth. Because there is no other way to victory than to espouse propagandist rhetoric in order to achieve their goal. Arguing and contorting their logic or lack there of to a form of Patriotism that is anything but. When the right to bear arms is greater then the right to live we have failed ourselves as a society. Especially, when we place it above the lives of our children. Thank you again for sharing your poem with us.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for sharing these thoughts, Carlos,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

The Joy of living has flown away to the Tropical Oasis... I find it difficult to Wing my way home.
Only Poetry can give us Hope to live another Day.
Tenderly, Pat