Turn back once more and Wave

Turn back once more and Wave

 

we fondle our values

then turn away

in embarrassment

turning red with Mercurochrome deference

 

patch up wounds

from childhood

like they are about to burst

with infection

 

we accept

propaganda's virtue

as our own

selling the core of ourselves

 

for pennies

on the dollar

no longer holler

or rage in protest

 

we become them

and them

and more them

the mirror draws a blank

 

our reflection

dims

in the scuffed glass

we've grown old and too weary

 

to stand 

for what we once stood

say goodbye to ourselves

plant ourselves on the couch

 

press the remote

and watch our lives

dissolve

with the rest of the herd.

 

 

erin-cilberto

12/14/25

Reviews

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

It is true that we rely too much on technology that we've become a robotic sleaves

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your words, Cowboy.
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

Let's face it...we are miserable creatures because we live in a miserable place....how can we be joyous? we should all be embarrassed to the the rest of the world.... our values have sunken, more so than any Venezuelan boat... and, as you say, now we are too old to fight back...age has crept up too high ...."Press the remote and watch our lives with the rest of the herd"...well done J
Warmly, B

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Betty. And his response to Rob Reiner and Michelles murder, totally disgusting.
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

YES!!! Happy Holidays to you and yours!!!
Warmly, B

[Thomas W Case]

Wow. You nailed it, my friend. Powerful writing.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Thomas.
j.

[John Sullivan]

German is probably going to be a popular language in this country, at this rate. They have a lovely word, "weltschmerz," which roughly translates to "world weariness..."

Powerful, honest work Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I like that word, John, and appreciate your words on this piece.
j.

[Desert Knave]

Gloriously dismal, just like my holiday mood. Yeah, at some point we just start dissolving. ~Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Half of me is gone..dissolved...now for the other half. Thank you, Jim.
j.

[Michael Sun Bear]

Wow! and Ouch! So true your poem, I saw much of myself reflected there. Is that not the heart of art? I have recently made a disciplined effort to get off that couch and retrieve or recreate my younger self I almost lost, a much better person, one I like more.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your insights, Michael.
j.