in the old west near City Light books

in the old west near City Lights books

 

 

the posse arrives to arrest

the poet

word-slinging outlaw

 

robbed a poem bank

stole then plagiarized

all the notes from the safe

 

witnesses lingered in the cafe

afterword 

to preface the arrest

and semantically attend the trial

 

when the sentence was pronounced

it needed much editing

 

someone forgot the semi-colon

in the verdict

and revision was shot down in the street

 

leaving sarcastic lines

crying

for the loss of inspiration

 

we all felt with tear stained

trigger fingers.

 

 

 

erin-cilberto

11/30/19

Reviews

[Katrina Mckeown]

I love your creative style use of metaphors and imagery you are a wizard with a pen , riding a horse in a country and western movie . Love this brilliantly created piece

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, Katrina...
j.

[barleygirl]

This poem encompasses one of your more treasured styles of riding a metaphor like a snortin' bull & you can last way longer than eight seconds, even at 80! You rarely make a metaphor leap as high as this one! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Margie...
second time i have made it to 9 seconds...not bad for a 90 year old.:)))

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Jacob... this is so much like our Politics today and the forthcoming Senate Trail... Back to the days of the Wild West word/slinging cowgirl Speaker of the House. truly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for revisiting this one, Pat...
yes, very much like what is coming...all so sad..read morethank you for revisiting this one, Pat...
yes, very much like what is coming...all so sad..
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

When you came through the door at the Poet's Bar,
I knew there would be a rhyme or two with a round
of lines that would be shot down. So I called the Sheriff
and he sat down and played Poker. Doesn't anyone
play Chess anymore. truly genius my friend. truly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

" I shot the sheriff , but i did not shoot the deputy"
I played three games of chess in my life...won one, lost one, and had one stalemate.
the spectrum so i quit while i was ahead....maybe i should quit writing while i am still ahead...
or take up poker.
thank you, Pat.
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Jacob.. I have been watching too many Westerns. I am thankful to read poetry where there in no violence in reality. My review is not clever... and I should have said, "when you walk through the door, I was inspired by the holster on your hip... and so I offered you a drink on the house. You tipped me with a poem that resonates in my heart. truly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i like that...but sorry, Pat...yes was a holster on my hip, but no gun, just a pen...:)))

[Patricia Wedel]

Yes... a pen in your holster... the Wild West is still alive in poetry. I am not brave enough write a Cowboy Poem... I will leave that to you or whoever... but I would love to read one. truly, Pat

[Lorry]

This is what i want for Christmas Jacob, to be able to write like this when im a proper growed up. To fill a page with such wonderful lines, that are as unique as your thinking and as unplagiarisable, for simply being so Jacob.
And yes, i see the irony of saying you are both unique and so you. My head thought it knew what it was saying, until it was said 😀

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for what you said, Lorry...
you are encouraging, for sure.
j.

[gram linski]

great idea for a poem, might have to nick it, lol, City Lights and their patrons would be proud to have this on their shelves,

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, gram, i appreciate you saying that.
j.

[sL]

So often you manage to sling words I wish I had written. Though it often feels like there is, you’re proof that there isn’t a total loss of inspiration. It’s an interesting role to play—the outlaw and the witness. Love this poem.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, sL...
j.

[Crowley]

That is my favorite book store of all time. If it were me, I would have went to Vesuvio grabbed a beer and waited for the posse. Once they came I would have hurled adverbs, bad grammar and lousy punctuation at them then faded into the beat museum to be forgotten forever. I think you read my piece called Notes on Grant and Green, I just love that area and the history. Can you tell I loved this piece?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

adverbs could really hurt....ouch.

yes, i remember Notes on Grant....we talked about those beat poets...and Kerouac ...
i appreciate that you like this write...
that stream of consciousness, free verse poetry at which the purists were enraged.
thanks, Crowley..
j.

[Crowley]

Each time I go to San Fran I do get inspired. I have quite a few written while I was there. Great City, couldn’t live there.

[AYVID N]

And in the trial, who is really really qualified to be the judge? I’m still thinking about it. I really enjoyed this poem, Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, DIVYA,
j.