Lighting a Candle in the Sanctuary

Lighting a Candle in the Sanctuary

 

 

the news is pertinent

hemorrhaging fear

a picture

a sound

 

a heart in decay

limps across a screen

shoes are bigger

bones are crisper

 

stitches unthread

but only in his soul

there was a heaven once

when he sat in a hard wooden pew

 

now there is just a question mark

at the end of his sentence

which might find its period

sooner than he thought.

 

as he swears

that statue is staring at him. 

 

 

erin-cilberto

6/13/23

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

In my young days. I travel a lot. I loved the ancient places. History is cool.
"as he swears
that statue is staring at him. "
I liked the above lines. In Germany, many scary statues. Trying to steal our mind and thank you Jacob for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[jacob erin-cilberto]

that is scary, Coyote...most definitely.
j.

[John the Baptist]

Recalling your recent health problems, I hope this one is not autobiographical.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

loosely based....

[red93]

Excellent Work Jacob - mortality's long fingers grasp all of our minds with fear at times ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Red,
j.

[Lorry]

Mortality is a far scarier thing to contemplate than anything our young minds could even imagine, when once we feared even saying the questions out loud, for fear of being told the answers. Yet here we are, so farther down the line and still fearing finding out the real answer, that still makes me hope that atheism was right and the end is just that, the end.
But not enough to refuse an invite to the after party.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I've often wondered that possibility...maybe this is it...and when we die, that is all there is.
read moreI've often wondered that possibility...maybe this is it...and when we die, that is all there is.
Guess we won't know until we get there.
thank you, Lorry,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

Ha… I will be there to pester you with my poems about Birds and how they Nest in Sycamore Trees!!!

[Lorry]

Well in that case Pat, it truly would live up to its name and be heaven 😊
It to me would mean no more aches and pains and being so happy to see loved ones again that there wouldn't be a single second to think about those that didn't make it.

[Patricia Wedel]

I feel it is all about the Spirit.. after all, our Spirut is what we value most. Although on Earth the pleasure of our Body is well… something to think about…. It has been quite an experiment where the Train goes off the Rail. Until then… Happy Trails… Pat

[Akinlolu]

"there was a heaven once when he sat in a hard wooden pew..."
I summarise it PARADISE LOST. Dreams turned to ashes and hopes became illusions.
Man has come a long way from his primordial hole of savagery, superstition and ignorance. He limped until he got to the age of enlightenment where he discovered wisdom and by that association obtained freedom that gave him wings to fly. But now I begin to wonder; is man reverting to the dark ages once more?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you have such powerful insight, Akinlolu...thank you for your words,
j.

[Akinlolu]

You are welcome.

[W. Barrett Munn]

The young have no clue what it means to face mortality as anything other than a thought exercise; it is only we old who truly feel those staring eyes.

Winston

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you
Winston, yes, we feel the eyes.
j.

[Pete]

a rather ominous write. that candle is enlightening - we may need it to be able to see the way that things are going.. i won't bother thinking about it - i'll wait for artificial intelligence to do the thinking for me. don't know if i'll still be around then or if i would want to be. gives new meaning to the phrase, "god help us". remember to press 5 if you desire to talk to a live operator ... :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

What's a live operator?????? :)))
Yes, AI is taking over.
Oh, by the way...that candle isn't real, either.
Thank you, Pete,
j.

[Soren]

A dark poem for a dark time. I love the images "stitches unthread but only in his soul" and the second to the last stanza is great
"now there is just a question mark
at the end of his sentence
which might find its period
sooner than he thought.'
Very moving Jacob

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for the kind review, Soren,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

Statue of Liberty? The news, worsens by the day. I see democracy and freedom under threat. Same over here.

there was a heaven once
when he sat on a hard wooden pew

I feel some fear here in the way the pace of life is changing at such speed, and not for the best. Light a candle and let its flame flicker with hope for a brighter future.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, it is changing isn't it? too fast, Chris for some of us older folk.
thank you,
j.

[Laz K.]

War, the influence of media on our life, faith...this triage of heavy topics woven together makes this poem feel deeply meaningful.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for the scope of your comments, Laz.
j.