Fields of Burnt Dignity

Been the old house for too long...can't seem to close the door. I hope we don't go down again. Keep it runnin'Charlie,,,Please!????

Fields of Burnt Dignity

 

old farmers

lie among their ashen crops

like corpses

in an already dead world

 

pleading for help

and getting none

from the power tractors

but Farm Aid singers

 

with their blessed voices

raise money like a tall field of corn

the sweet wheat grows

and their families eat

 

old farmers

knock on doors of white houses

asking for spare change

but even that is charged tariffs

 

they put their hands back in their pockets

along with their plows 

and few anemic cattle

and sleep among the charred gravestones.

 

 

erin-cilberto

9/21/25

Reviews

[Lorry]

Farming is a thankless task these days, but where would we be without them? I doubt at my age I could catch anything to eat other than in asthmatic cabbage so im watching carefully what's happening and supermarkets are already forewarning price rises well into 2026.
Anyone for some lentil soup?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Lentil is good, yes...promises have not been kept.
Thank you, Lorry.
j.

[FlatDaddy]

I will moo among the few and lay my head on marble tonight, dreaming of white houses sparked by plows striking farmer-tossed stones. We may dine on our own ashes, but their nutrients will suffice to bring a new crop of gold if we weed it gently and polish each kernel as they rise. Sorry, J, I know I sound quite pompous here, but my mind couldn't help but follow the rows you set.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Not pompous at all, just honest. And I appreciate that.
thanks, FD.
j.

[redzone]

Here, where I live, some of these once family farms are now growing solar panels. Family farming has been a long, hard fought, but losing battle. When I was working in the steel industry back in the 70's, quite a few farmers worked there as well. They could not keep up a farm without added income. One of my co-workers would hold summer bbq outings at his farm. And my first wife was a "farmer's daughter". Her dad owned 70 acres of farmland and another 70 acres of hillside for the 20 cows he raised and milked. Talk about hard work! I was dead tired after a day's work that began before the sun came up and wasn't totally finished until after dark.

Poignant poem, Jacob. I hope Charlie can keep it going.
-Curt

[jacob erin-cilberto]

All my friends in Ryegate, VT...same thing...have to do more than farming...but it is what they know, what they love, so they continue to do it.
Thank you for your words,
j.

[Desert Knave]

Wow. Yeah, this seems to be the time that the concept of the small farmer, as we have known it, it pretty much ended. But, hope is supposed to spring eternal. ~Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

It is supposed to...we'll see.
Thanks, Jim.

[Chris Shaw]

Government interference with the running of family farms which have been passed down for generations. Inheritance tax which cripples and forces sale. Your lines remind me that our farmers are in conflict with government. Our food producers should be cared for not crippled. Dear J some old things are worth preserving. I would have difficulty closing the door too. I have a habit of hankering over old stuff. It’s an age thing. Love your poetry dear friend.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Between you and me, Chris...both our governments are in conflict with everybody.
Thanks for your kind words,
j.