some always unfinished business

some always unfinished business

 

 

 

to Frank O'Hara with warm regards

regarding that common figment 

in our imaginations,

the motor still running

number six pouring out in the fireworks

 

and i don't even have Lana Turner as my muse

not really sure who lights my fuse

maybe a combination of lovers and friends

and to what ends

my themes may come

 

it's like writing in a soap box

not sure when the pen will coast to a stop

or when another poem will pop

 

i think you would understand

like when

there is that party in your brain

and the guests just don't know

when it's time to leave,

and they all drink too fast

 

they spew words

puke dreams onto sandy beaches

on their oceans of creative calamity

 

and i being the fool i am,

 

even though it is getting so late

join them.

 

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

3/2/19

Reviews

[john l smith]

I am starting to move so slowly that the mind is about the only area to (imagine) party
And thanks for introducing me to another poet
Dave B

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you are welcome...he is one of my favorite Beats...i did like so many of them...appreciate your visit, and hope you like his stuff, john.
thanks again, fellow poet.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Frank O'Hara, writer, poet and critic. Didn't he write like this, addressing a specific person, concerning day to day issues? Tragic he died so young, 40 is no age at all. He may well have had Lana Turner as a muse, he was certainly around when she was at the height of her fame. There certainly seems to be a party going on in your brain. All that creativity dancing away may be too many gatecrashers. I think I'd rather have that than no one turn up. Sounds like you are going with the flow. Being a good host, doing the rounds with everyone. My brain doesn't throw many party's. It's not a fan of chaos.

I think this is a nod to Frank because you wouldn't have had the chance while he lived.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

he refers to her often in his work...and in one poem, since she was alcoholic and had bad bouts, says something like "Lana has fallen, please get up"
tragic death he suffered in an accident...
I like much of his work, the desperation in it...and i feel a bit of a kindred spirit with him since we both write in a similar fashion...just pouring out poems and moving on to the next one...for him too, they came in bunches, like a faucet turned on full blast.
I don't write anywhere near his level, but he was one of the Beats i really identify with, he and Robert Creeley...and Creeley because of the romantic nature of his work even though he seldom expresses that straight out.
thank you for your kind review, and you are welcome to crash the party any time...I will try to keep the chaos to a minimum...
j.

[Chris Shaw]

I'll have to check him and Robert Creely out. My knowledge on American literature is stifled. I am so pleased my granddaughter will be studying both English and American literature at uni.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I think you may like both...especially one particular Creeley poem which is my favorite, it is called "the flower"
and wow, you certainly don't look old enough to have a granddaughter at university...
is she hoping to become a teacher?

[Chris Shaw]

She's unsure, but I would be delighted. The course allows a year's study in the States. That's what she wants. I'll check that poem out. Thanks for the compliment. Photo is four years old though. Need to update sometime.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I sent it to you in a message...Be nice for her to be here for awhile, get to know us...
and even so on the photo, I am sure I would say the same thing now...If she is really into the literature etc. I feel she will end up wanting to share that love with students.
That is why I love teaching so much...to share the joy of it. I even love teaching grammar. :)

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Jacob. Will take a look.