Ways and Means

Ways and Means

 

 

hide the manna

in a Bell Jar

its due date

is past

but the gluttons

want religion stored in the pantry

for emergencies

their corrupt ways

are averse to following it now

like Plaths

their Christianity is suicidal

 

miracles are not in session

no one but the janitor 

is there for a vote

and his mop is stuck

in the yeast like 

a body caught in quicksand

hide the manna

from the rich squatters

 

the poor are coming

their hunger will be sated

and those with millions

who can't take it with them

will be starving for the bread

dangled before their drained

accounts.

 

erin-cilberto

10/17/2025

Reviews

[Lorry]

Dear God...
Can we have our cheque yet?
Yours sincerely,
the meek! 😀

[jacob erin-cilberto]

You can't afford your cheque.
Get a loan first and come back tomorrow.
ha ha.
Thanks for that reply...made me smile.

[RomaJ]

The imagery of "manna in a Bell Jar" is brilliant. Faith preserved and spoiled at once. The contrast between the "rich squatters" and the hungry poor feels biblical yet modern, a haunting mirror of today’s moral decay. That ending, where the wealthy starve for what they hoarded; is powerful and just.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind and understanding review, RomaJ.
j.

[SM Davis]

Oof. Love it! I think you nailed it right on the head with this one! I imagine you are right in the thick of it. Wishing you peace and prosperity in these trying times. Loved the poem.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Very trying times. I appreciate your words, SM.
j.

[Desert Knave]

Somehow, some way, it does seem like we are due for a rather massive reckoning (or we are in the middle of it). Interesting write. ~Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, I believe we are in the middle of it...
thank you, Jim.
j.

[Neville]

This reads like a reflection in a global mirror .. it is essentially sad because it leads the reader to consider so many injustices that seem to be increasingly accepted as the norm .. Powerful, ragged and real Jacob .. Oh' and for what its worth, I am more and more disillusioned these days than I ever thought with increasing insight that I ever would be .. Take care, Neville

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I am right with you, Neville, on the disillusionment.
Thanks for your words.
j.

[Degare]

And the corruption is not just material, it tries to penetrate the very verbiage to serve them, wicked ameliorations to serve their ideals.
This poem reminded me of a joke that Slavoj Zizek orates.

"There's an old Jewish joke, loved by Derrida, about a group of Jews in a synagogue, publicly admitting their nullity in the eyes of God. First, a rabbi stands up and says: "O God, I know I am worthless, I am nothing!" After he has finished, a rich businessman stands up and says, beating himself on the chest: "O God, I am also worthless, obsessed with material wealth, I am nothing!" After this spectacle, a poor ordinary Jew also stands up and also proclaims: "O God, I am nothing..." The rich businessman kicks the rabbi and whispers in his ear with scorn: "What insolence! Who is that guy who dares to claim that he is nothing too!""

-Slavoj Zizek

This poem speaks many truths, Jacob

Degare

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your review, Degare.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

I see this as another political write j. The rich getting richer while the poor suffer. There is enough bread to share, but some are greedy. They want more while others starve. Not very Christian like is it, but I’m not keen on organized religion anyway. I like the references to Plath and the madness of the bell jar.

hide the manna
from the rich squatters

This poem wants retribution, it wants complete change. A redistribution of wealth. Maybe a change of government in the eyes of the poet. You took me on a journey j filled with strong imagery and a desire for change, where compassion comes before greed. Justice for the poor.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

It wants something...I am not sure anymoe why or what I am writing.
Thanks, Chris.
j.