the fog masks the mountain

the fog masks the mountain


on a fool's errand
amidst the flames of disbelief
you once were a possibility,
but the smoke exhausted rituals
of connection,

have become dire ashes on a last breath
and mountains are less symmetrical
than those little mole hills
we created as kids,

and now we can't climb above them
to see the good in each other---

we build electrical fences
that short circuit our hearts
and leave us smoldering over nothing.


erin-cilberto
11/16/16

Reviews

[Tony Jordan]

No wonder the selfie has become the new currency among kids (and simpletons). We have taught them that its okay to be self-obsessed, forsaking all others in a quest for 'ME'.
I have watched "talent show" judges deliberately split up friends and family on TV with a vague promise of 15 minutes of fame. They split them with relish - perhaps deliberately to show the flake-ness of being in the spotlight - perhaps out of badness to show how the 'Japanese knotweed' of popularity has made erstwhile bonds irrelevant and redundant.

The fog may be on the mountain J, but there are still decent foghorns like your poetry to alert us.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Tony...

j.

[Tony Jordan]

Welcome Jacob

[Raven]

reminds me of my sisters.Very close once but the older they got the more they feel like they have to compete not just with each other but others. At some point in our time when we talk to listen to others even in silence we expect from others. Even if we have no reason to. Wonderful.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

ah, how astute...it is like that, yes it is...

thank you, Raven.

j.

[redzone]

not sure if this family related Jacob but it took me to me and my brother... close when very little but then came the age of big brother vs little brother... and some of this was pretty ugly and mostly my fault.... but while it was mostly mole hills we created they did keep as separated for a long time... recently (over the past 8 or 10 years) those mole hills into mountains down to rolling plains now and we are good, not close, but no mole hills or mountains... mostly our concerns have turned to the faster decline of our parents health... and besides this have found we have much we can share and talk about...

anyway, smoldering is not good even if over nothing, nor are those electric fences... ouch... you express this tension between people in a way that is both poignant as well as sad... nicely done Jacob..

redzone

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you are quite astute, my friend...thank you for your review...yes, sad when blood can't seem to go without so much conflict.

j.

[andrew mitchell]

Reminded me of a Nepalese saying there are many ways to climb the mountain but the view is always the same. But back to the poem, how we all have high expectations for each other, some we have to climb but there's always that security fence we put up just as a precaution/ a protector, and sometimes our insecurities are just over nothing, all in the mind.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

love your review...thank you, andrew.

j.

[MOON]

Beautiful poignant imagery, . True , we forget the real issues petty ones triumph.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, they do...thank you for your kind words, Moon.
j.