a projection of wealth

a projection of wealth

 

 

 

 

in May,

he may be there,

teeth a bit more jagged

wider gaps in memory

the eyes trying to look backwards, to no avail

 

his mouth moving in protruding syllables

that stymie his intentions,

he wants to be the mountain again

like he was,

 

but now the rolling hills of his skin and mind therein 

slope in parameters secluded

the annihilation of the bones of cerebral calcium

 

no medicine can reverse what is soon to be for June

he's just a little bit farther away

from himself,

 

but i draw closer to him,

than i have ever been.

 

 

erin-cilberto

3/18/16  

Reviews

[Dhaye]

We will all grow old and die. But as a child, it is not easy for someone to see his parent slowly losing his strength and even his memory. I see someone in this situation. He was not a good son. But now that his father is bedridden, he tries to make up by taking care of him and staying often at his side.
It is sad to think that some children realize the value of parents when they are weak and ill or when they are already gone. Blessed are those who have longer time and chance to show their love to their parents.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so true what you say, Dhaye...

can't be just at the end....has to be all along that we show the appreciation and love.
thank you for your words.

j.

[_mal]

Beautifully expressed in spite of the sad subject. Can really relate

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, mal

j.

[Érenn]

I am yet to experience it, no I am sure I never really want to but to put it in simple terms it's something I have to. It rings of personal touch here, and I can only imagine what must be going through your life right now. As usual the flow is flawless and your word choices and metaphors are a delight(not that it invokes delight this time around). Again the images invoked has left me thinking about the reality and the future that maybe right around the corner for me as well. Thank you for sharing.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Errenn,
j.

[andrew mitchell]

old age is never kind as is death, once a pillar of strength now struggling in the last stages bringing others closer in the finality.The whole experience I found rather surreal, in disbelief when my father passed away quite suddenly at 72

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, losing a parent is surreal....and then afterwards, we keep forgetting he or she is gone...we keep thinking of calling, or going to visit...and then remember.

thank you for your words...

j.

[andrew mitchell]

yes it never goes away, just seems like you haven't had contact for a while!

[Lydia Shutter]

Jacob, this write is so touching. Seeing a parent slipping away...feeling it....is one of the most difficult things for a child. We want to believe our parents will always be strong, but the years steal strength. Our parents are different, but the love is still the same. I hope when you see your Dad this time, he is better off than you think he will be. I know he will feel your love. Such a personal write....kudos. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

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

j.

[Nisreen]

Something about this man
is breaking
his will to be
and it breaks the heart

only maybe there might be more for him ......

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really appreciate your words, RiverSided

j.

[Bacchus]

What a gentle piece.
"but now the rolling hills of his skin and mind therein" is revealing but tender.
To love by drawing closer as someone continues to get father away- what a testimony of character.
This is happening to my Mountain Grandpa now and I've been running away.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and this is happening with my dad....thank you for your kind review, Bacchus..

j.

[Lyn Anderson]

If you have been through this, you understand. I spent every last moment I could with my grandfather before he passed. He felt such frustration at being so much "less" than he was before he became frail and forgetful. But to me he was still the same man he always was, but more than that, he needed me, and I grew much closer to him in the last few years of his life. This poem is intensely personal in its feel, yet it can be personal to anyone who has lived it. Thanks for the tears and the smile underneath.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, when they get weaker, we have to get stronger...thank you for sharing, you do understand the feeling...

j.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you for the beautiful poetry. That we may have someone at the end who loves us as much as we loved them.

[redzone]

it is very difficult to watch a loved one die. the emotional drifts and eddies that pull you in so many ways.. both my parents are still alive, in their 90's and it is hard to see how they have changed just over the past few years.. the sometimes vacant look in my mother's eyes that sparkled not that long ago and yet she goes to do her exercises every morning and walk around the building... dad sharper, but has a weakened heart... "parameters secluded", what an excellent word usage to describe this decline.. as is "no medicine can reverse what is soon to be June"... ironically they just add pills on top of pills that in some ways speed up the fading... And I found those last two lines wonderful in their caring and love Jacob..

you are a wonderful poet, but an even better man...

redzone

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow...yes, you really understand...mom died a couple years ago...that fire in her eyes, there almost to the end...she was 92...Dad is 96...tough watching them weakening, becoming a shell of what they once were.

thank you for your words, Curt...

j.

[redzone]

so sorry for your loss of your mother Jacob... she lived a long life and was well loved I am sure... and most likely gave even more.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

she really was a giver...volunteered at st joes in southern pines for many years...and had 70 years married to my dad...a good life. thank you, my friend.

[redzone]

WOW, 70 years is a long time.. my folks will celebrate 70th this June... I was married twice and longest was 7 years.. what's up with this younger generation.. er.. wait thats us.. lol

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, Curt...we must be poetic brothers...yours will celebrate 70 also...and i had three marriages with a total of 7 and a half...yes, what is up with us?????????

[Alfred Kukitz]

You show a real tenderness toward a person who was someone else and although the age of change unkindly comes to visit what is lost is somehow regained with a close friend.

I love this piece because it tells me who you are.

Regards,
Al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, Al...

j.