God will soon Cross Examine

God will soon Cross Examine

 

 

evil is a canary

on its perch

with black eyes

singing Culture Club's

"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"

 

as its master with darker eyes

in orange feathers

holds arsenic seeds

slurs notes with madness as sheet music

a beak tattooed with transparency

 

yet as the slight parrot

watches from the witness stand

the canary molts truth

and succumbs

the song ceases

 

and real justice flies away

with heartbroken wing.

 

 

erin-cilberto

10/20/25

Reviews

[Vol]

Jacob,
Have all of us Geezers become pessimistic... well, except for the nihilists who have always preferred the dark. It is the Western zeitgeist that we lose in the end... began here with Ragnarök, solidified in revelations, sworn in by religion... brought to pass by the woke and symbolized by Yeats' "Second Coming."
WE do live in interesting times...
Vol

[jacob erin-cilberto]

You covered it, Vol. Very interesting times.
Thank you for your insight.
j.

[Marcelino Tagaca Jr.]

Hello sir… Your piece “God Will Soon Cross Examine” is a chilling allegory of moral decay and divine judgment. Through the melancholy image of a canary singing under the shadow of its corrupt master, your poem exposes how innocence and truth often perish in a world poisoned by deceit.
Each line drips with irony and quiet anguish, the canary’s silence becomes a symbol of justice deferred, and the closing image of “real justice” flying away leaves a lasting wound. You remind me that when God finally “cross examines,” all pretense will fall away, and truth alone will testify.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your insightful review, Marcelino...
j.

[Marcelino Tagaca Jr.]

welcome. I am blessed by your composition

[MomzillaNC]

A powerful piece. Love the shade thrown here too. Justice must come, sooner or later. Sadly, it won't be from the current regime because, "You'll never find justice when criminals make the laws."

[jacob erin-cilberto]

such a shame we are referring to our current administration as a regime...better days must be ahead, even if in the distant future.
Thank you, MomZ.
j.

[MomzillaNC]

I hope there'll be better days ahead. Unfortunately, he just released a defense plan that will see the National Guard trained in crowd control and civil unrest — TO BE DEPLOYED ACCROSS ALL FIFTY STATES BY APRIL 2026!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I am moving to Canada.
j.

[MomzillaNC]

I wish we could

[An owl on the moon]

There is such a beautiful power in the birdsong sighs that flow through your words. This music, these colors, each feather flies on the wings of justice... of the inevitable.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your very kind comment, Owl.
j.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Fabulous write Jacob I hope you are well

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your words, Julie.
j.

[Light and ashes]

It seems to me that the majority of the verses, are about one thing, wholly,
While the ending verse is possibly a new thing,
or a different thing..

But, then again , I'm just me.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your honest reaction...I like that...no, it all connects...I am ranting a lot lately about the political current in our KINGdom.
j.

[Light and ashes]

America?? Right?

[Desert Knave]

Wow. Strong words. I was writing about a canary just today, so it caught my attention that you did as well. There will be (I would hope) some reckoning some day. ~Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I wonder...this person seems to avoid reckoning somehow...always.
thanks for your words, Jim.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

I am seeing the imagery here jacob as a cross between a Picasso and a Savador Dali painting. It comes across as bizarre, but then we live in a bizarre world. It’s tough on the canary, but if they are truly evil, God will be the judge. Arsenic seeds is a horrible way to die. Slow poisoning, dark and dangerous.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

free speech is being pummeled.
I like your cross with the imagery...and bizarre it is.
j.

[Jansy]

Jacob, I’m not sure if I just read a divine courtroom drama or a karaoke night in purgatory, but either way, I’m emotionally subpoenaed. The canary’s singing Culture Club while the parrot files a motion for mistruth..meanwhile God’s polishing His gavel, trying not to laugh. Justice didn’t just fly away; it probably stopped for coffee on the way to appeal. Brilliantly bizarre and spiritually suspicious..in the best way.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I hope the coffee was good. It was probably very expensive and the taxpayers are paying for it.
read moreI hope the coffee was good. It was probably very expensive and the taxpayers are paying for it.
Thank you, Jansy.
j.