Wax Poems

Wax Poems

in the old cabin

a candle burned softly

no mortal inhabitants

burrowed through these woods

since the century's turn

and yet,

seeming life

through a softly glowing window

appeared to be deep in thought

shadows on the wall like hieroglyphics

posing no threat to those 

who stop to wonder

but flaming egos

will perish at the causeway

no matter the century

of the poet.

erin-cilberto

10/11/19

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

I saw Robert Frost. His candle still burns and he still melts hearts with his poetry, long after his death. Although I saw Frost, it could have been any of the old poets who have left us a legacy for years to come. I liked this poem very much and where it took me.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Chris,
j.

[Paul Bell]

They always say the past holds the answers. A simple verse written a hundred years ago automatically transports you back to that time. The cabin, maybe a woodsman, maybe the wood just spread hiding the cabin deeper within. But At that moment in time a picture is forming and the past is back in present.
Probably why we love black and white photos.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

black and white photos are the best...i have a whole album of them that was my parents...and many of their relatives are in it...uncles, grandparents, etc. great stuff....thank you, Paul, appreciate your visit...

[Paul Bell]

A bit like vinyl records, making a come back in a big way.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

vinyl may have gotten scratched and worn....but a much fuller sound any day over CD's...for sure.

[Paul Bell]

Yeah, CDs promised much and delivered nowt.

[Rhayne]

I see a very old lonely cabin that was once happy and full of life and rhyme. The candle was left behind at the last one's death, lit and welcoming strangers with a cast warning to come humble and be loving to 'our old home'. The energy of their love and voice still live in the wooden walls like the lasting words of a well-known poet.
Beautiful J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind and insightful review Rhayne.
j.

[Einstein Noodle]

read some of the other comments after reading then read again ... this is a rather challenging hieroglyph itself to me ... old cabin .. no one even been in the woods surrounding for many years .. yet a glowing window .. a bit of light for the dark spaces perhaps .. casting those shadows .. our egos will get in the way of many finer things for sure ..and can not pass the threshold of honest inspiration and integrity .. we haven't changed at all over the millenniums ..our struggles, hurts and victories and loves ... all there .. all with a twist and shadow cast .. hmmmmmmmmmmmm making me think this morning sir .. thanks for sharing your poetry :)
E.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, unfortunately those egos do get in the way...thank you for your insightful words, E.
j.

[andrew mitchell]

Its funny although the picture depicts the residents long gone how you paint this picture with words leaves past thoughts everywhere like litter. nice one J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, andrew,
j.

[Lorry]

Well Jacob, I cannot stop thinking of the hieroglyphs dancing on the walls and the feeling that in a far off future, someone will stumble apon this cabin, which in my mind is a book ship and find a dusty old book, which is the writers words, stripped to the bare bones of the personalisation our own existence gives them, as the reader discovers we were once real. (this may be due to me watching the mummy recently and dreaming of hieroglyphs... as well as the lovely Rachel Weisz)
We live our words, but they will outlive us, as we are freed of ego from this mortal coil and become truly anon.
I love how the no mortal inhabitants line completely sets the scene. Three simple words, rearranged with such style.
Seriously impressive words, as always.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review...and yes, Rachel Weisz....love her....favorite film of hers was with John Cusack and Gene Hackman...Runaway Jury...
I wonder if centuries from now if someone found our poetry...would it make sense? would it have any power left to it?

[Lorry]

Perhaps future hipsters will revive us briefly, before getting distracted by their own reflection 😀

[Eilis]

Perhaps we are speaking of the transience of our endeavors and how so much of what we do is left to be interpreted by others. Poetry in particular is subject to interpret due to its impressionistic nature.

I love the idea of empty space that seems filled with the spirit of things. The poet remains hidden, but his/her words/actions are painting hieroglyphs on the walls and making a way out into the darkness of that empty wood. And the poet has no control then over what they become.

And that can translate so differently according to the receiver. I like the two potential receivers here. The two extremes- because I think this is often how we think of our work being received- either with wonder or negativity. I like the idea that the negativity will die out of its own weight.

A challenging poem here, Jacob, but evocative and thoughtful. A bit like Plato’s cave. Something I’ll be thinking on for awhile.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i agree with you...i don't think we have any power at all over what our poems become...at least i don't ....the words come, i write them down...as if in a trance...as a conduit...and i don't feel responsible or in control...my poems pretty much write themselves...when the muse is strong enough.
thank you for your visit, insights and kind words, Eilis.
j.

[R.E. Ray]

J., what I take away is a poet seeing his reflection, or maybe a mirage in an old poets "cabin" window, admiring, fondly reminiscing from the road. Still, he knows others will see something different, maybe just a has-been writer, a worthless antique in history's dust. Perhaps that old poet's word lies covered in wax, or perhaps a ghost inspires thought and fresh poetry from the warm glow of history's light.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

love this interpretation....thank you for your words, R.E.
j.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Now this is one to ponder Jacob. I can see it two ways. Firstly homage to a dead poet as their light still burns and others still read them but cannot emulate them and secondly a living poet who has ideas burning inside. Whatever as always the poem is a splendid allegorical masterpiece of words and phrases.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i like both directions, John....work for me...thank you for your kind review,
j.

[PaintedBirdy]

quite intriguing, if allowing for my interpretation :)

"the old cabin" is like the "old way" of thinking and living. "a candle burned softly" correlates to the title, basically: creativity that's burning away and forgotten. no mortal inhabitants reminds me of ghosts, so all together the setting is reminiscing about a past.

a window is something we look through, similar to glasses, it's a lens. and if deep in, shadows or the narrator, then it's about nostalgia. again, a repetition of the past.

the last quatrain is harder for me to decipher. it seems to imply a protection of the old cabin, as in appreciation of it. which, if so, is endearing, and so those who stop to wonder are welcomed.

as always, thank you for sharing your mind. it is appreciated! "no matter the century/ of the poet"

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i really like how interpreted these words, Mondaine...i appreciate your time and thoughts,
j.