Capital Punishment

 

Capital Punishment

 

 

 

the mall tree was electrocuted

and Christmas Eve died in the chair of commercialism

the lights dimmed,

 

the packages ripped open before they got home,

home where the heart was burning,

waiting for a sleigh full of anticipatory gratification

 

fundamentally there is no crib

or wise men

or shepherds singing to an infant

 

the prayers went Cha-Ching

in some register on a counter

with a shallow chorus of Merry Christmas

from the voice of a 9-5 emotionless employee

watching the clock,

 

near penniless, jealous of those who can practice

tying ribbons to thousands of dollars worth of gifts

 

but inside, there is a child

who remembers midnight mass

and dark blue bulbs on a real tree

 

when we barely slept the night before---

so excited for that one gift in the morning

 

the one that meant the most

the one we no longer unwrap,

the one that can't be bought at the mall....

 

the one now short circuited...

the one executed in the blizzard of modernism

the one only poets talk about

since the star disappeared.

 

the gift ---

love.

Reviews

[Sheila Kline]

The greatest gift of all is LOVE, given unto men by He who is LOVE; without this gift we would not know the joy of goodness, nor know that the way of modern man who is enthralled with the capital punishment you speak of is so extremely wrong. Greed in the form of self, and commercialism is what is the buzz, and as is expressed in comments, even the word Christmas is now politically incorrect. God help us!

I am honored to have the opportunity to read your words as I am certain that could not come from but one who knows what LOVE is! Yes, the poets - we must carry messages of truth, even when others turn their ear away and close eyes to the true message of Christmas! Thank you j!

May I share your words on my Facebook page with credit being given to you? I know I have friends who would welcome them!!

I have given but a few 100 ratings. This gets one with the glory given to our Creator!
Merry Christmas with a full measure of LOVE

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you so much for your kind words, Sheila....and of course you may share these words if you wish...

peace

j.

[B. Boileau]

BRAVO! I don't know when it happened ... but the commercialization of peace and love has become overwhelming. To the point of a once highly anticipated time has become something akin to a chore. Except for those of us who still have the true meaning in our hearts. BRILLIANT write my friend.
Blessings and a happy Christmas
bill

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, my friend...

and happy Christmas back at ya.
read morethank you for your kind words, my friend...

and happy Christmas back at ya.

j.

[alifeacoustic]

I hope you understand why my review is just what I write on every xmas card I give out....merry commercial exploitation of a once meaningful ocassion. Need I say more?
Superb Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

no, no need to say more...thank you, alife.

j.

[David Scott]

Love... LOVE. The name of the Father who is Creator, the I Am who sent his Son and delivered upon His Reserrction the Spirit of Christmas.
Traditions are blended and meanings become diluted with cultural preference.
Purity will bring itself to the heart prepared to receive love and conditioned to live it. It cannot be manufactured Christmas Eve.
A worthy write.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your insightful words, David.

j.

[Cryingkate]

Glad you wrote this, It needed to be said. again, yet again and again till it catches on that it really boils down to supply and demand. Stop the filling the demand and let them eat the supply.

I was noticing..... Every market place went politically correct. Not one mentions Christmas. It's been replaced with "Happy Holidays" and yet people ignorantly run to shop at their favorite local traitors and build their Empire as we watch them devour ours.
Whats the purpose? We will perish with our own ignorance.
We need some Old" Fashioned Values.Self Respect and Pride. I guess they got lost with the remote control and whatever. Yeah we need an updated cell phone so we can kill our brain cells some
more. Sad we really do have the control if only we used it.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Connie...it's all so sad when i think of what used to be...meanings are lost now...

j.

[Cryingkate]

Yes I agree and it was intentional.

[h d e rushin]

something is horribly broken my friend. this indulgence to delirium. this aroma of melting cheese
and taco's at the food court and tweeners running eachother frantic for the girl in the black
leggings. somewhere lost inside the little measure of whatever reason is left, is a glittering
tinsel that wraps around our ankles and we drag unknowing into the house. What I mean is that
a little spark is all it takes to know that this end of December insanity, is all about Christ....

the final six lines of this poem is absolutely outstanding......dana

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, dana...

j.

[Cory Barrett]

I would love if we could do away with gifts for christmas, even if it its only for a year or two. This is the america that we have built. if we don't feed the pony the one trick show is over.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

we need to tear it down and start over...thank you for your words, Cory.

j.