dark clouds of sunshine

dark clouds of sunshine

i am replete

with lovers' smiles 

and lovers' frowns

right-side ups

and wrong-side downs

i've been held in arms

and held at arm's length

received love letters

and hate mail

had my heart repaired

and more often broken

kissed under a soft moon sky

packed up and left, surmising why

always two sides of a coin

but found counterfeit feelings

pay the damages

for injuries encountered

from the falling in love

and from the completion

of the repletion.

erin-cilberto

7/25/25

Reviews

[LynGeist]

"right side ups and wrong side downs" perfect. A little reminiscent of Dr Seuss who (or is it whom) I love for his simplicity.

I liked the whole poem but that stood out to me

[jacob erin-cilberto]

actually "whom"---
and thank you for your words, Lyn...I almost felt for a few lines, I was a reincarnated Seuss...not with the same talent...but awkwardly approaching him...only my cat does not wear a hat.
j.

[LynGeist]

:} hahaha My cat does not wear a hat either. She's too bitchy for such nonsense.

also, thank you for the clarification on who or whom. I thought it was "whom" but I was too tired to check. I also constantly mix up when to use I, he/she, her/him. And i don't mean that in "woke" terminology whatsoever. I mean it like, hmmm now I can't think of an example but it would be along the lines of, She and I went to the park. (I would never say that. I would use 'we' lol but it's that type of sentence I refer to.

[Kady R.]

Hiiii Erin-cilberto,

I worked in the financial industry and learned about counterfeit money. It can seem very similar to the original but something is usually off like the feel of it or the watermark wont be there. If one's not careful its very easy to mistake real love for a counterfeit.

Thanks for that analogy!!
Wonderful poem!!! 🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🥰

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your words, Kady.
j.

[Gee]

So much hard work goes into a long and loving relationship. People seem to think that the longevity of partnerships that work just happens, how do very mistaken!
I've counted to 10 and more, have bitten my tongue til bleeding and have apologised more times than I can remember even when the apology should have been whistling it's way to me:)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

My first ex...thought exactly as the second sentence in your reply...but it does not just happen, as you said.
thanks for the words,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Falling in love has its dangers.

always two sides of a coin - how very true that is

This poem covers the roller coaster ride of love. When it’s good, it is very very good, but when it’s bad it is horrid. Fantastic title j, I think most readers will relate.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Chris...surely can make us feel topsy-turvy...

[DIVYA]

i've been held in arms
and held at arm's length

That's beautiful wordplay! The poem is a perfect portrayal of a poet's love life - The upswings and downswings, highs and lows. The injuries encountered from falling in love read so consummately poetic and I love how the damages are paid for in counterfeit feelings.

"the completion
of the repletion."

~ that's how replete one feels in love.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

ha ha, love it....Yes, that's how "replete" one feels in love. WE should make that the word of the week, my friend. Hank wants to meet the cat in your avatar!
j.

[S.zaynab.kamoonpury]

Woww such professional poems in perfect rhyme and meter are indeed far more admirable than what i can do,
so i leave yours with admiration of its awesome flow, muse and creativity. Kudos!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind words, S.
j.