the paradox of fairy tales

the paradox of fairy tales

 

 

 

bedtime stories rush like waterfalls

into adolescence

surprise endings cause consternation

shotgun weddings, heroes' downfalls

 

the tales grow mundane

embellished for enticement

but fictionalized for infatuation

as the truth

 

runs out of energy

like the wattage on the night light

that helped us sleep better

 

and keep those monsters contained

                                                  in the closet...

 

 

 

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

11/21/15

Reviews

[Ed Hart]

those fairy tales get to us when our eyes are new and the juice of origination is 100 proof...and yes, they do lose their wattage, so 007 has to keep circling through and mr schwarzenegger becomes pathetic, and tinkerbell has grown old on red carpet...but, nevertheless, they got us in the beginning, and taught us magic and red carpets, and set us free into the kingdoms of hope, where the good guy always wins in the end...great job jacob

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wonderful insights...and a smile...thank you for your review, Ed...

appreciate your words.

j.

[Ayvid N]

A very cruel thing about life and growing old is that everything looses sheen and romance jaded. We sre not left with much to live for. So well written.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, DIVYA...

j.

[Autumn Lyric]

Nicely done, Jacob...particularly enjoyed the part about the "surprise endings". We look for these in real life when we finally grow up...such stories gave us high expectations. As children, we want to believe in everything, expecting no less than sheer truth, even in a fairy tale story. When we reach the age of maturity, those oxymoronic beings of real life start falling out of the closet. Loved reading this!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, LaShaye...

j.

[W.k.kortas]

What strikes about the piece is how tight it is, every word pulling its weight, which is the kind of thing which only looks easy. As if that wasn't enough, the conceits are so elegant yet simply expressed that you're left saying "Well, why didn't I think of that?" That is the mark of a successful piece.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, W.k.
j.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Despite the ugly truths of reality, I love fairytales for the promise, the dream, and the imagination they provide. They open doors to worlds otherwise unknown; and through those worlds, other dreams are born. When children are at their most hopeful, fairytales deliver dreams unknown; and somehow, despite the complexities of life, we always hold on to a bit of belief in the dream. Monsters may creep out of the closet every now and again, but we learn to face them head on.

Your opening and ending lines are a great introduction and conclusion for the entirety of the poem.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Linda Marie.

j.

[redzone]

fairy tales of monsters, ogres, demons, werewolves, all I think were created by small children and women... tales all to real and these monsters often are under the bed and just down the hall... but perhaps one of those monsters is that we forget them as we grow old and sometimes in forgetting we get eaten, especially after the night light has gone out... of course we also can see them in broad day light.. fairy tales: they delight and fright!!

redzone

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really appreciate your insightful words, Curt...

thank you

j.

[annalysiar]

Beautiful write, nicely put.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, annalysiar


j.

[Zahra]

At times we all have to escape into 'fairytales' to avoid facing our own demons. amazing write.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Zahra....

j.

[Pryde Foltz]

The things we tell our children and continue to do so even after we know they teach rubbish. But like most things that are bad for you they taste good at the time. Always a pleasure to visit your page:)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and i always appreciate your visits and kind reviews, Pryde.

j.

[alifeacoustic]

The truth of monsters is much worse than anything anyone could ever dream up, and they don't have fables trademark of looking bad equals bad, real life monsters look just like us.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, they do. thank you for your words, alife.

j.