for Berryman and others, drinks on the house

for Berryman and others, drinks on the house

 

 

somewhere in the after life,

Frank O'Hara is still begging Lana Turner

to get up---

 

while another woman is sitting with Lucifer at the bar,

having one more for the road,

 

and she is still Anne Sexton's "blond duchess"

royalty of the Beats,

never going to talk to God again

 

Fathers die, we mourn

someone takes a drink

falls to the floor of syllabic tiles

 

the grievance is filed

another poet bites the dust

 

the good ones die young

and restless as expression that can't find its poem

 

shotgun shells cover the floor of some cavern

darkness where the themes bled out

as Anne said "suicides have their own language"

 

bi-lingual poets learn it well,

but often die with the words coagulating

on their lips

in silent prayer

 

And in that bar in the sky,

O'Hara finally realizes

Lana has no more breath to stand on.

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

6/8/17

Reviews

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Confession, depression, suicide and "darkness where the themes bled out"..."another poet bites the dust". Excellent noir tribute poem to those notables, those that bled like Plath. Lift a heavenly glass, ask Lana "to get up", and the empty stool can be yours....Love this.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Annette.
j.

[Chris]

Lifting a glass - "To missing friends..."

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i have lifted many...as i am sure you have, too.
thanks Chris.
j.

[gabrielle]

Poets, they say, are overly sensitive. Makes me think that they internalized all those negative emotions until they can't take it anymore.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, gabrielle...
j.

[andrew mitchell]

did lana turner die from suicide? I had a chuckle on lucifer's bar, I'm sure joan Crawford is there maybe even mae west. Another finely tuned write J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Lana died from throat cancer at 74 years old...but she had lots of problems....and drank...thank you for your words, and the smile...yes, Joan is at that bar for sure.

[andrew mitchell]

smoking related no doubt, yes some fine actresses back then.

[Jimmy Yetts]

My teeth didn't exactly "gleam like the alphabet" but I did thoroughly enjoy reading this poem.
Here, your words simply amazed me!
Am convinced, however, that Lana Turner rarely got up for anyone; men usually "got up" for her.
What compelling images you conjure!
Snapping my fingers!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

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

[Lydia Shutter]

Are they in another realm drinking and writing? A lovely thought actually. This is the line that blew me away "often die with the words coagulating on their lips in silent prayer"...visceral imagery here....a powerful write and a bit different than your usual. I liked it. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Lydi.
j.

[Cory Barrett]

All of them so good. It's too sad.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, they were--think Lawrence F. is still with us.

[Cory Barrett]

he certainly out lasted all the rest. I will admit to wondering what set ferlinghetti apart.

[Alfred Kukitz]

Again I find amazement in the curvature of your thought. What a tale!

Regards,
Al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for the kind words, my friend.
j.

[Alfred Kukitz]

It sparked me to look into Berryman. His was a story with a capital S.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

I had to 'Google' John Berryman and an interesting biography indeed. How the brand leaves it's mark and fuels the slide into alcohol even for the most talented. This is an inspirational piece Jacob as it trails the sad loss of so many but also places them in heaven with a drink in their hand carrying on 'living' but some insight gained.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your insightful thoughts, John.
j.

[Arjun Singh]

I really loved the picture you painted here..
But quite honestly, i didn't know a lot of the names you put in here.. haha
Nevertheless, this was still quite beautiful..
Nice..!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Arjun.....

j.