Vultures Cry for Relief

Vultures Cry for Relief

 

 

 

millionaire babies

become gutter rats

in high fashion footwear

and moth eaten fur

mismatching socks

mismatching eyes

darting directionless as the quarter shines

and a perfectly manicured hand reaches

 

somewhere in a dark nightfall

where the towers toppled

and the streets once paved with gold

are cluttered with the rubble

of a silver spooned life so tarnished

 

that plastic mid-wives deliver whiskey moods

from half empty bottles, reeled in from a sea of refuse

 

the rust green boats

giving some warmth at evening's apology

when the lid closes tightly enough

and the stench is a hard pillow

to swallow,

 

the fall from grace

now much maligned

no act of contrition

can fatten the wallet again,

and vanity wore out with first pair

of faded jeans,

 

the last ones with the Jordache label

the last of the emperor's rags

he'd taken with him,

 

as the Church door slammed 

him into feathered madness.

 

 

erin-cilberto

2/27/16

Reviews

[iand63]

we are the goon squad and we're coming to town beep beep
fa fa fa fa fashion lalalala

The denison of rich and infamous is the new religion where green back carpets allow entrance and freedom from responsibility to humanity. another excellent piece J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, ian.

j.

[barleygirl]

Whoa! I'm speechless. This is quite an acerbic & castigating commentary on rich kids who fall from grace! I'm sure everyone has thought some of this, at some point. But your poem paints it in fifty shades of "rust green" (I just flipped at that . . . this is the poster child for incredible word choices . . . so vivid & so unusual, surprising, then bam! you see it perfectly). That's the process for a few other sparkling spots, as well, such as the one Lydi highlighted right off in her review. You read it, then it hits you with a delayed recognition of how brilliant that describes, plus being totally original & fresh. I'm constantly telling young writers to reach a little more for vivid word choices . . . this poem is a shining example. I love it.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind review, barleygirl...

j.

[Carolynn]

Boy this is a thinker Jacob - for some reason this makes me think of the story of the prodigal son with your ending about the emperor's rags and the church door slamming. Then it makes me think about the falling of the twin towers and a disturbing documentary I saw on "who might have actually been behind that" then I'm off thinking about women who prefer fake nails, fake breasts, face lifts, Botox - lifestyles where the mentality is money can buy anything ... Got my mind spinning in all directions!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

love those directions...they all could fit..i am appreciative of you sharing where you went with this poem....

j.

[AYVID N]

There's much ugliness and chaos when the good times end. Materialism almost always ends with stench and rubble, yet greed never really perishes. A very strong impact felt reading the poem.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your insightful words, DIVA--

j.

[Alfred Kukitz]

Double barreled blast, I can feel the wave of shock coming off the shooting of words that gives credence to a bible 's scream.

Loud, bull's eye, vital!

Regards,
Al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Al.

j.

[Lydia Shutter]

"a hard pillow to swallow"....great line. Now my connotations might be totally off, but I am thinking political "stuff" again. Jordache jeans....back from the 60's and 70's. Were the political views of that era all just smoke and mirrors? Do the rich get rich and the poor get poorer? Will politicians save us or are we doomed? Not sure what you were going for with this one, but it certainly did make me think. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

appreciate those words, Lydi...and i like that interpretation....

j.

[Einstein Noodle]

lots of good stuff but i think not your best sir ..your bar is quite high in case you did not know it ... i feel the angst and the theme is so relevant these days ... i think this one could be shorter ..more precise and have better effect ... could not help but think of our two front runners Hillary and Trump .. one a liar the other a clever buffoon ... at their worst .. i do concede their strengths as well .. but really tired of picker the better of evils so to speak .. all that glitters is truly not gold eh!?
E.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i appreciate your honest critique, E.....sorry this one didn't play a chord with you...will consider your comments, and again thank you...

j.

[Einstein Noodle]

:) ........... great themes in this one! ... strikes a note ;)

[Daisie Vergara (Dhaye)]

Life is like a wheel. We never know when we will go up or down. Life itself surprises us with the changes we encounter everyday -- when the rich becomes poor, or the poor becomes rich. Such change might be based on our own choices and action. The best thing parents can do to their children is to hone them as productive individuals who can survive life's challenges.

Well-done!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words and insights, Dhaye.

j.

[gabrielle]

This made me think.of some rich kids who took every opportunity to display the wealth of their parents. And it's quite sad that some of them may end up penniless because they had not been taught the value of hardwork.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

very true, gabrielle...very true...

thank you for your insights,

j.

[Nisreen]

This piece is just beyond fabulous
a painting of triumph and those dark times
Something about this financial element that you threw in there just spins one into a mode of perspective
This ruthless engine that eats up the soul of man
Losing pretty much all and being shut out by those who claim a place of sanctuary
Leading mere man to madness

Jacob this is a work of art

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind review, RiverSided...

j.

[Nisreen]

Pleasure always Jacob