The star that misdirected

The star that misdirected

Merry Christmas dinner this year

the pavement for a table

meal in a bag

liquid gold

no myrrh or frankincense

no sense at all

homeless Americans

drift along the avenue

of life

in cardboard houses

once they had electricity

a roof,

real walls

linoleum floors to drop crumbs upon

now just a crummy existence

a nickel for a thought

a panorama of poverty

the government sits on its own throne

Kings, dukes, lords

democrats, republicans

thrones of selfish motive

and we voted for them

expecting not confiscation

but purification

beautification 

allocation

rumination

not a New Years celebration

shivering in 12 degrees of separation

a poem in hand

frozen fingers trying to turn the pages

as we all need to turn the page

start the coup

rid ourselves of the rubbish

clean up our streets

of the beggars 

and put them in real homes

let them be subjects with power

create an Eifel Tower

so they can fly

above

the kingdom

on what they would consider a magic carpet

just to have a real meal

a real feel

of being human again.

erin-cilberto

12/26/2020

Reviews

[Remanence]

We are a culture that will always have marginalized people, and these will always be in need of voices who speak for all. Expressions like this poem can change the nature of our culture when enough people listen and vote with conscious. Well done.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your very kind review, Watercress.
j.

[Vicki T.]

I plunged into your poem. The rhythm and word rhyme and near rhyme captivated me. I want to read more of your work.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, Vicki,
j.

[adornoscousin]

I saw a stupid editorial in the WSJ defending Scrooge. Idiots. Here you speak to a raw and pressing thing that should not be ignored as we celebrate Christmas- a celebration of of poverty and homelessness/

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, very stupid...appreciate your insights, adorno,
j.

[phill..m]

Charles Dickens walked the streets of London, He saw the poverty ,are there no Work houses and the tread mill is that still in operation, the book a Christmas Carol brought back to life something that over time became less popular(Christmas) and charity to others. So books can make a difference.Iv'e Looked into the History of the book and the author, He also did a speaking tour in the USA.Phill.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, charity is diminishing, unfortunately...
thank you for your review, phill,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

Way back in 1979... I realized that it could be
possible for our Government to finance a program for the
homeless... whereby, our Congress could present a "Bill"
to select government owned :and in the USA ... and pay qualified
Builders (in the Spring through Autumn to "Teach" certain homeless people who would"Agree"
to learn how to "Build a Home" with electricity and plumbing-- water and sewer--.
By the time Winter came... at least a few families and/or a number of people could live comfortably.
In the meantime, they could find "Work"... have Cattle and Poultry supplied to provide Meat and Eggs, as well as Milk, and in the Spring .. plant a Garden with Government supplied Tractors and Seed to plant.
You can imagine how much more Economical this would be instead of having "Open Borders" with Good People; but many criminals and so forth. Fill in the "spaces". It all adds up. I wish someone could have implemented this Plan long ago. The homeless who learned Trades by doing them.. would not need "free everything" that will Bankrupt and destroy our Country. It could still be done. Imagine if every year this was done bigger and better... it could be a Plan that would result in a way to educate people to teach people all these Trades. There is always a simple beginning to a complicated (but worthwhile) Idea. Amen. This is my Prayer

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Amen to your prayer, Pat...
thank you for sharing,
j.

[andrew mitchell]

When you consider how much governments waste money without voters approval they could dig deep into the taxpayers money and make a difference and support those who do care and volunteer to help those in need. An important write J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, they do waste...and those who need, suffer greatly.
thank you, andrew,
j.

[John the Baptist]

May be the longest offering I have seen from you. Yes, I see more homeless people carrying signs pleading for donations now than I have seen in a long time. The pandemic has rendered many people jobless and doesn't show any signs of letting up yet. Thank God for the Foodbanks. I don't see how people could survive without them.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your understanding, John,
j.

[Relic]

You make a lot of sense, J. Politicians are interested in what they can get, what they can do to secure their own future. However, don't forget the average person. "What, homeless? not in my neighborhood. put them somewhere else."

Homeless people give off an aura of mental incapacities and no one wants to get involved. That's the real shame of it. Too many passersby keep to themselves.

There could be another Sylvia or robert frost hidden among the masses on those streets. Maybe someday, with so much attention on people coming into our country legally or not, this new administration of Biden and Harris (as they're deleting ICE or border walls) will look at their own streets and see what needs to be done in our own country.

One can only hope.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes the average person doesn't want to get involved until the situation reverses and then they wonder, why was I not more understanding.
thank you, Relic.
j.

[Neville]

I share the dream & the many sentiments liberally and purposefully littered down the page of this most poignant of posts jacob...............

I so hope there will soon be a universal shifting of values and a corresponding mood change which paves the way for a fairer distribution of basic human needs ... No-one should be hungry or go without a roof over their head in the 21st century ............................................... N.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

absolutely, no one should.
thank you for your understanding words, Neville,
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

Very real and sad story; I’ve seen it in N.Y. And in the mountains too. And once they did have a home....what happened? Nevertheless our kings and queens do nothing about it...shameful! WE should pull a coup to drive them out( other counties do it)... well done Jacob, we all have to speak out about this horrendous problem.
kudos to you
Betty

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Betty,
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

You're quite welcome; Jacob, I would love it if you would read a chapter or two (very short) of my chapbook COOL JOE, because I really value your opinion!!!! No rush, at you leisure! B