Pedestal Peddlers

Pedestal Peddlers

blithering fools

orators galore

in shop display windows

close to the madding crowd

selling wares of religious artifacts

by distorting the facts

taking advantage of their God's fiction

the diction enunciated with devil's tongue

Who are these high rollers?

someone break the pane

chase them away

because the sins we carry

is a pain

that can not be wiped clear

even if the preacher sells

absolution for cheap

because a conscience

needs to earn impunity

through years of recompense

and infinite poems written as penance.

erin-cilberto

10/14/23

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Selling wares of religious artifacts. You remind me of what I call bible bashers. I have letters written by great aunt Winnie who died from TB at 17 and her Baptist Minister. The child died in fear. She had barely lived, yet in the eyes of the church was a sinner. Utter crap. Enough to put you off religion for life. I couldn’t stop crying when I read them. That’s where your powerful poetry directed me J.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

My bitterness detector started burning out fuses about halfway through this one. Of course, these fellows have been doing this sort of thing for centuries. I recall reading that at some point after the crusades, five different European churches claimed to possess the skull of John the Baptist. If that were true, then the original JtB must have been a hydra. Then there were the 15th century guys who sold "Get out of purgatory early" passes. The list goes on and on. On the other hand, they were just entrepreneurs supplying a need. Pre-scientific European life was an ordeal, and people wanted all the reassurance they could get. If I had any business sense, I would establish a bottling plant near the Sea of Galilee and try to market the water Jesus walked on.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I learned a lot from your review, John...thanks for that.
j.

[NormaZ]

A lot to think about here, a very deep poem. I love the last line "infinite poems written as penance" and the idea of cheap absolution, that doesn't wipe away the pain. People say that confession is good for the soul, and if you confess to a priest you'll feel better, but I haven't found that to be true. Maybe poetry is a way to find some absolution. Nice job.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Way back in the early fifties when I was very little, my dad had a nervous breakdown...my mom stayed home with him for several months missed going to confession for that time. When she finally got to go again, the priest yelled at her for not attending and didn't relent even when she told him the reason...Shame on him...and it made her not go again for over a year.
I hear ya, NormaZ!

[NormaZ]

Wow, sadly I have hear similar stories, which pushes people out of the church. Shame on him exactly!

[NormaZ]

(Sorry, heard)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Knew what you meant my friend...we start typing fast sometimes and don't realize the typos.
I wonder if that priest is with God now, or if he has been made to suffer for awhile for his behavior? What do you think?

[NormaZ]

I guess we won’t really know until we get there, but it would be nice to think that he would suffer for awhile.

[AYVID N]

We need to just take them off the pedestal...this is such a strong and compelling write, dear Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

sometimes people talk a good game, a great game, but when it comes down to it they are shallow people who dig their own graves.
thank you, Divya.
j.

[emmajoygreen]

We are left to make choices in this erratic world. Faith is what we are, how we behave- not always what we believe. War and peace, love and hate etc' is part of the 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' tenet' - found worded in varying ways as a Linus blanket in all weights. Cynicism , science and now A1, will juggle the facts and make fiction of most. Perhaps we all walk in the shadow of.. who knows unless life itself is the path . ' .. because a conscience needs to earn impunity through years of recompense and infinite poems written as penance. '

Who or What teaches us to have a conscience, jacob?

'

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I don't know, em. I think we just have to have one in the first place. Not sure it is something that can be taught.

[jaye river]

so well written, and truly a sign of the times.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, jaye,
j.

[D. Mansfield]

I feel you brother, takers abound

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, D.
j.

[W. Barrett Munn]

I’ve heard happy wife happy life; I would offer this corollary: happy life crappy poet.
But I think you beat me to it.

Winston

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so hard to write happy stuff, ain't it?

[Patricia Wedel]

Prayers are answered... but not what we expected...
We elected the wrong Puppets with ties to a Ventriloquist with
stolen Articles of Alternatives. And now the Votes are counted over and over. quietly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

sure would have been wrong the other way as well.
where are those puppet masters...the voices are wavering.
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

The damage has been done.... we are using pretend money... Monopoly is a Board Game. p.

[Emily B]

These are perilous times. Charlatans abound.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

amen, Emily, amen..