debunking a half-mast mythology

debunking a half-mast mythology 

 

 

 

blither-blather

the deep throat of Dan Rather

sounds of silent heartbreak,

dramatically posed,

inflection wells voiced

 

at the bottom,

hearts lie

next to bodies underground

the rapid fire,

the dead don't count the bullets

the dead don't read their textbooks

the dead don't show up for the next class

the dead graduate,

 

but only to the next life

where maybe they make sense

of the senseless

 

and convey that knowledge to those left standing

in line to pay their student fees

on in the next building, in the next town, in the next headline

 

if only we could learn

maybe life would make the next grade

and death wouldn't pass

so easily, and

with such dark flying colors.

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

10/10/15

Reviews

[icelandicblue]

I have a picture of myself and Dan Rather at a fundraiser in NYC. He looks better than I do and I was only 20 so no one sees it but me (lol) But we don't have news reporters we have news readers readers and that has made all the difference. We can't rely on REDDIT we must put ourselves out there and find the truth where we can and that takes work.

The dead are lost opportunities:
the dead don't count the bullets

the dead don't read their textbooks

the dead don't show up for the next class

the dead graduate,

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for sharing this story, anne...that is so cool...yes, readers now...but also newscasters who try to be the show...rather than just reporting what happened, they attempt to be stars...reality tv takes over news.

j.

[icelandicblue]

My father in law knew many famous people.I was a shrinking violet then. My husband has brought out the true me. Wish it had been in place then. I was so shy. Too many stars and not enough sky. Now I feel like a voice in the wind but I don't stop speaking my mind.

[rubie]

this compelling piece has almost a protest-like tone reminiscent of the 60s...

have we not made any progress since then?

how utterly disheartening....

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, rubie...i don't think very much progress...

j.

[JayceeC]

Buried a high school student last week, and this felt so apropos. Even though Dan is a thing of the past, he is a voice from my childhood that announced every joy and sorrow this country met. Every bullet that finds it's mark is now loudly shouted, and sometimes the only thing the shooter has ever been recognized for in his life.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so sorry to hear about your high school student...there is more sorrow than joy these days...

and yes, on the shooter being recognized for nothing else.

thank you, Jan

j.

[RomaJ]

Very powerful and heart wrenching poem. It leaves even the living, trying to "make sense of the senseless". Thought provoking piece, j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Roma.
j.

[RomaJ]

you're welcome, j

[W.k.kortas]

I'm guessing you don't think Illinois needs an on-campus open-carry law, then? It's very hard to to find the right tone when writing about something close to home, but you tread that fine line just so. "(B)lither-blather is a wonderful and wonderfully apt opening to the piece, dovetailing nicely with the notion of well-modulated voices at the end of the stanza. It's fine work, and it's a damn shame it needed to be written.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, W.k.--

i have very mixed feelings about all of it...but one clarity is agreeing with you that "it is a damn shame it needed to be written."

[...]

OMG...shaking my head. Are you trying to send me off into a rant? lol I could be very windy, here. Searching for brevity...End war, do nothing. We are their power. All this s**t would stop, if we simply refused to participate. William Gibson's "pattern Recognition" comes to mind here. We are complacent, lazy, and ignorant. Sigh...the infectious puss bomb is about to explode and we can start all over again with the infection...YAY

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really appreciate your keen insights and wise advice...i wish the world would heed it...especially us...
thank you, lynn
j.

[HippieSoulPunx]

Wow, what a concept. Creative and without faltering, steady and sure in its execution. We often run out of time before we manage to really grasp the understandings of the subjects needed in order to pass on to the next class, a higher and more peaceful level of existence. Beautiful write, thought-provoking and full of wisdom.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, HippieSoul,

j.

[Alfred Kukitz]

There are some leaders who fail everyday. The math, science, literature, history, on and on. The only report card that's worth anything is a death certificate. Life in some sense thank you for death!

Great stuff!

Regards,
Al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Al.
j.

[Zugzwang]

Hi Jacob,
This poem really spoke to me of the futility and hypocrisy of war and the terrible waste of young lives that ensues. News anchors have way of uttering the most blithe dross imaginable and I wonder why someone doesn't ship them off to the front to do their part. Politicians too. I freely admit my interpretation may be way off but that's how I saw it.
Compact language, hard hitting. Good.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really like how you read this, and appreciate your words,

j.

[alifeacoustic]

A very timely reminder that it is we who fail to make the grade and evolve past the McLives attitude where everything and everyone is expendable.Or should that be de evolve?
Great piece Jacob, softly spoken yet powerful words.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, the McLives...love that...thank you for your words, alife.

j.