downwind from Wall Street

downwind from Wall Street

we ate a three course meal,

under cardboard shingles

blankets for booths, 

we pretended well,

the sandwiches were cold quarter pounders with cheese

which weighed more than we 

for dessert, a half bottle of wine

we found in a basement crawlspace

of an abandoned building,

newspaper tablecloth,

we read as we ate,

some article about a bank going under

getting bailed out by the government

we each took a swig of our dessert,

to wash down the limp fries

and blur the ambiance 

just enough, so that we 

could imagine a tip

for the imaginary server

and bit extra for the maitre d

who had sat us.

erin-cilberto

3/20/16

Reviews

[Jonas]

This could be easily viewed in perspective of a huge transnational company, where ordinary people get relatively little and are of no interest to a greedy state policy that places dosh in front of man.
Well done.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i like that angle...thank you for the read and comment, Jonas.

j.

[Cryingkate]

I nearly cried reading this.
I nearly cried Tears of Joy that is....
I read through the comments and was surprised that I didn't see anyone else who really seem to understand how fortunate this couple was.
As someone who has been on both ends of that great distance. I can attest. that on that Beautiful, Glorious day that couple experienced the Greatest Love and Joy that anyone could ever experience.
The heightened state of Appreciation was witnessed by the Cosmos and never to be forgotten.

I have some awesome memories of those Divine moments and not one of them would I replace with the Days I have had with Over- Abundance ! Everything I have had and experienced in life that had any significant meaning or value was always when it was not what i have but, what I didn't have or what I had taken away.

I am so surprised.... This is a Beautiful moment and they just had the most BEAUTIFUL moment. Oh My !

[jacob erin-cilberto]

readers see things differently as individuals...often based on life experiences...
thank you for your interpretation...and just for the visit to my poems...thank you.
j.

[Cryingkate]

Your so welcome and Thank You Jacob

[Alfred Kukitz]

Nothing like good food, good company and ambiance to settle the imaginary mind.

Bon Appetite!

regards,

al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, my friend.

j.

[iand63]

when i read this, and i have read it several times before commenting, i get an apocalyptical sensation from it. The couple present as seers calmly watching their distopian prophecy play out before them. the food represents the stale unpalatable existence that humanity has created and are now struggling to digest. So we 'swig our dessert' to attempt a taste of sweetness to 'blur the ambience' of the bitter after taste of existence before paying the price as we all must.

So many layers to this work. Brilliant simply brilliant J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your keen insights into this write, ian.

j.

[Beccy]

The gap grows greater, the human stain more corrosive year on year, what hope the street kids of the world, when the cheque is always 'in the post.'

This, as it should, touches a nerve.

Beccy.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Beccy...
j.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Such a sad thought to know that some live it up without even thinking of those in need.

The lyric "The pour eat hand to mouth while the rich drink from the golden cup" by Poison came to mind when reading this.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, my friend.

j.

[Circe]

Wonderfully thought out and profound for the times we live in. It certainly speaks to the reader about the availability of food and housing... the social conditions against the backdrop of a huge banking industry..wealth vs poverty.. greed vs common sense. Thanks for sharing.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Circe...
j.

[Jebat Serawak]

Wow. Nice writing. Everyday objects well used yet so meaningful.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Jebat.

j.

[h d e rushin]

something smacks of truth here my friend. truth being that thing just the slightest nudge
away from that which is false. But the big banks, after 2008 and the billions of tax payers dollars
later, are larger conglomerates than ever. Wont work with homeowners to re-due their mortgages
on these mostly underwater homes. Wont give out home repair loans. Wont give out low interest small business loans. Offer just 1 percent interest on the money you put there. Charge you to withdraw your own money or to do a balance inquiry. The banking industry has everyone just a paycheck away
from the picture you paint here my friend.

"Downstream from Wallstreet"........how apropo //well done my friend....dana

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, dana....appreciate your insights.

j.

[Dalton]

I was away from writer's cafe for a couple months, and have just returned. You're the first profile I went to, and there will be stops at our mutual friends works. I'm so delighted to be reading your work again. This poem is brilliant, just as much, if not more, than all of your work prior. Thank YOU sir for your lovely words, your dedication and consistency to the art.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind words, Dalton..
j.