Just Weeds there Now

Just Weeds there Now

 

 

 

flower

flower children

flower power

flower flurry

 

flower's message

she loves me

no wait

Please don't tear the wings off that flower

 

flower

flower's leaning

another flower accepts

 

flower children

flower power

flower flurry

 

flowers for Algernon

flowers wilting

flowers dead and buried

 

the sixties went away

now just empty pots

scourged gardens

 

no beads

no need

 

the movement's roots

got uprooted,

 

flower

flower children

flower power

flower forgotten

 

the sixties went away

i think i have one pressed in a book of poetry

a Poulin anthology of the Beats

 

flower power lives within

many are flowers dead and buried

but i still feel the flurry

 

i'll never forget

flowers are too beautiful

not to remember.

 

 

erin-cilberto

11/18/2020

Reviews

[VALORMORE DE PLUME]

Brings back memories.
At 17, I lived in a commune with 19 girls, most in early twenties, and two other guys that were older than I. I was defiantly in the center of the bouquet as often as possible.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

"In the center of the bouquet"---I like that.
thank you, Valormore.
j.

[Re-Pete]

(been having trouble navigating the site lately so not sure what's been saved). vietnam, the beatniks, abbie hoffman, lovebeads and the like, a time of peaceful rebellion, sit-ins etc. it was a state of mind that transcends. picturing woodstock and hearing the music as i read your words. we need such movements periodically to keep things honest and make us stop and think about where we've come from, where we're at and where we're going (the pause that refreshes so to speak). letting out what is inside aching to be expressed and released. there were lots of poetry readings too ... :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

it was it was it was...
My head is still in that time...and my heart as well.
Thank you, Pete,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Flower power and all the beautiful people. There was something wonderful about experiencing those times, the music, the optimism and the love. Everything was so different and my parents were young enough to appreciate it too. Yes, there was a downside too, but in general, I can look back and say, I was truly happy then..Materialism hadn't set in. You took me back Jacob, and I was thankful for that. Wonderful poem.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I echo what you just said precisely....
I was truly happy then as well...I felt so alive...read moreI echo what you just said precisely....
I was truly happy then as well...I felt so alive...
thank you for sharing the echo with this writer.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Our era. Our generation:)) You wouldn't understand it unless you'd lived it. It was very special and an exciting time.

[Relic]

I guess the imprint will never go away for some. A friend of mine once said he thought the sixties were the best generation. Then I thought about the death of MLK and RFK and the Manson murders, hiding under desks...

But if you're a poet, if you love words, the beat generation must have been a blooming flower indeed. A respite from guns, death, and war. Things come and things go. But the memories and the feeling they leave become important over time.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, I loved the sixties even with the bad stuff that happened...I worried about being drafted constantly...and RFK...he was shot on my birthday and died after midnight which was my graduation day from high school.
I was going to vote for him, first time I could vote for a president being 18 years old, finally.
but there was movement back then...a feeling of togetherness for a purpose...Those days are gone...oh, and on my wall in my bedroom I had a picture of Sharon Tate. That got to me when she and the others were killed, and how they were killed.
thanks for your review, Relic,
j.

[Crowley]

I had forgotten about Algernon!!! The concepts were both powerful and simple. I wish we could all summon up the courage to live that kind of idealistic existence. Age is a thief, and reality spits in your face. But is that really reality, or just paradigm that allows to continue to be selfish and greedy. You always get me thinking.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your insights on this one, Crowley,
j.

[Ted Kniffen]

and flowers for the barrels of rifles.

Charlie was a great movie & Cliff Robertson's portrayal was amazing. There was a man in our town when I was a lad who was the spitting image of the Charlie character, right down to the leather jacket ... the speech and the talk.

Thanks for the ride j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I love it at the end when he was answering questions from the scientists and said " Now I have a question for you. What about Charley Gordon?"

thanks Ted.

[andrew mitchell]

Is this Algernon Blackwood you mention J. But back to the images, there was a problem about flower power, it was mainly about the freedom of youth and when you realise you need money to live ....well this transitional phase doesn’t last long.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

No, actually Algernon the little white mouse in Flowers for Algernon...and his interaction with Charlie Gordon.
thank you, andrew.
j.

[Laz K.]

I will only comment on the "flowers for Algernon" allusion, because analyzing every aspect of this poem could potentially result in a 10-page research paper, but seeing that you're an English teacher, I'll spare you - guess you have enough papers to read as it is. :)

Flowers are an infinitely "loaded" and rich symbol. The Algernon reference stood out for me, because I just read the story recently. It works great for this poem, since the topic is the death of something delicate and precious - just like in the story. Coming across the reference made me pause for about 10 minutes musing about the story...:)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I am glad you found some way to relate to this piece, Laz and I thank you for the read and comments.
Funny, I am in the middle of research projects for final exams at this very moment. So an interesting coincidence that you would bring that up.
thank you again for your visit and words.
j.

[.]

My father was an engineering student in the sixties, and from him I have heard so many stories. They used to sing their original lyric whenever they were in a get together. I have an old college photograph of him with his friends and there he looked so different and radiant. Whenever I heard them discussing a particular topic, it is so deep spiritually. Our generation is lacking that. I love the rebellious sixties and dreamer seventies. Your poem is so adorable here..

[jacob erin-cilberto]

And my father was an engineer for 35 years. He and I did not see eye to eye for many years...
my generation, the sixties children had different ideals and didn't see things as black and white.
thank you for sharing your story, Dreamer.
I am glad you could relate somehow to this.
j.

[h d e rushin]

My dad and mom were flower children. When they tell me that, I think they mean the opposite of what the people of today are. There is this vestigial obsoleteness about Rap music, for instance if you know what I mean. And that everything from that 60's period, even when it was cryptic or puzzling, was held as treasure. They have a point, i think. Purpose, opinion, resistance to change, even the idea of "freedom" as an embodiment of the soul, has evaded most of our moral precepts. Melania dug up the Rose Garden of beautiful cherry blossom trees and sweet dahlias that Bunny Melon planted there 65 years ago, to put in a concrete walkway and only a few people objected. I love your projection here brother....flower is a metaphor for the obviatus of discovery. Beautifully written.....dana

[jacob erin-cilberto]

My generation, your parents.
Thank you for your words, dana. I always really appreciate your feedback, always.
j.