as one door closes, another...

 

as one door closes, another...

 

 

 

 

sat in an old church with archaic windows

and thought about soul,

what exactly is it?

where is mine at the moment---

 

stone faced statues stared silently from altars of gold

a slight light shone upon them

but i remained in shadows

 

conflicted, afflicted with doubt

is what i am looking for in here?

within the confines of brick and mortar

within these wooden pews and kneel down philosophy

browsing old hymnals with much older songs

sung now in the back of memory

 

my words remained unsaid

they formed in confusing prayer

i tried to understand something taught to me

from First Communion through years of sovereign reminders

 

through public outcry

against the very saintly vocation

and irrevocable intrusions to the standard 

set and disposed of, 

by strayed shepherds of example

 

sat in an old church with archaic windows

saw artistry on the pane

saw pain in the artistry

heard pain in the echoes

as i sat there wondering where

and why it all went...

 

got up and took one last genuflect 

then another last reflection

 

and walked out into the wistful wisdom

of life, 

the real one that comes with years

of finding out the truth

that comes with an understanding---

 

of losing something we leaned upon

for so many years---

that with age

becomes artistry less and less visible

 

to the eyes of the soul.

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

5/8/16

Reviews

[Inject Positivity]

Wisdom comes through experience I believe... The more we experience different aspects of our life the more we get to learn how to find the true meaning that we are looking for... No one can teach us if we can't find the answer within ourselves... Our creator created us to be helpful to others and sharing our gifts with others and the moment we realize this, we will get realize the true meaning of going to church and praying to God...

This is truly a thought provoking write, one that keeps the reader thinking... Found it very special...

Sincerely
Dhiman

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, we must find it ourselves...thank you for your words, Dhiman...

j.

[gabrielle]

The church is but a structure. Our church visits , no matter how frequent, will remain empty and meaningless if we don't respect and do good for the world.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so true, gabrielle...so true....many thanks,

j.

[Matching Socks]

I think as we grow older, we take all the little lessons and values we've learned and this becomes our own rule book, hand book, code of conduct for life... Whatever the heck you want to call it, doesn't matter.
At the root of it is love and respect, forgiveness and courage. I don't go to church. But I don't need to be taught these common sense things under the guise of religion. If God is good and he exists for real then I'm sure he'll appreciate all I've done and accomplished. Maybe even thank me for being so low maintenance.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, actions do speak much louder than words, don't they? thank you for your insights, Ana..

j.

[h d e rushin]

Heavenly answers are the easy way out. In fact, the soul begs the intellectual, the literatus, the polyhistor, the scientist, the Minerva and even the poet to find truth and understanding on his or her
own terms. Yeah, I believe there's a god as well as the condiscriple of his letter to mankind. But I also
believe in you Jacob. Perhaps poetry is just an indifference resulting from that constant wrestle
with trying to get it right; with trying to say something before the crowd acknowledges it.

Your the greatest ....dana

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind words, my friend...i don't know if there are ever answers, just more and more questions..

j.

[andrew mitchell]

I could be wrong lol but as I read this fine piece I felt as if you have outgrown the church and its beliefs and found truth in wisdom which comes with age rather than hollow walls waiting for answers that never come.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

that's part of it, andrew...thank you for your comments...
j.

[Lyn Anderson]

I feel conflict and genuine grief in this piece, but a sense of resolution, moving on, from what the speaker knew to something new ... I know this feeling. I have come to my own compromise in this area. We all have to reconcile our lives and life as we understand it to be with the belief systems we grew up with.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

exactly...it is a give and take...a combination of beliefs that finally solder together what we end up with...thank you for your understanding here, KL.
j.

[Lyn Anderson]

I do believe in some ways we have travelled similar paths, and thus, understand each other.

[Kirsty Woodward]

Adore the alliteration in the second stanza. Great imagery. Nicely done, Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Kirsty...

j.