Used Lanterns

 

Used Lanterns

 

 

sure i bathe in moonlight

when the mood suits me

but darkened patches of life

are my corner luxury

that cool feeling of black frost

i can almost lick with fervent tongue

as i silently mouth words i could never write down

on star pads,

too much grandiose suffering made public

as other lovers kiss under those same tablets

with my words breeching their contract

and blame ricocheting off the blank walls of my heart

 

sure i'll strip down to just the bare letters

and pour myself into an ocean of comforting glow

but that will only assuage your bulbous pain---

 

i instead, must burn in the rays

of an unkind orb

seeking to unclad me of my own sorrow

make my poems run naked

and embarrassed in front of people

i don't know

who only want to use me to see into themselves.

 

 

erin-cilberto

5/17/11

Reviews

[h d e rushin]

Poetry dear brother, like hurt or failure, has its own modality in its use of language to express various relationships to reality or truth. And you're right about one thing. I do use you to see into my own soul. lol/ But living alone means I sleep and eat naked. Bath in cold water. Write poems at 4:00 am like Plath when all the mythical creatures of this world are still asleep. And have written, roughly, 10 trillion poems under the silk covers that I could never write down. The premise of the first stanza was that a love poem was as close as a new moon. Then I forgot the s**t I just wrote about "modality". dana.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I really appreciate your review, dana.
Thank you...yes living alone...we do crazy things and keep crazy schedules and there is no one to argue with us.
j.

[emmajoygreen]

Jacob, perhaps you have stepped onto two paths, one to keep your heart and mind in safe privacy and in another way opened a route for someone else to express emotions. Just re-read: feeling same but also, are you wondering if people feed off extreme pain or alternatively give so much detail others become generally desensitised. Perhaps am due to keep reading. Was that your intention?

[jacob erin-cilberto]

maybe we are becoming desensitized...yes, could be.
and do poets thrive on pain for their words to come?
I wonder and thank you for your words,
j.

[andrew mitchell]

The title is intriguing like people are using your light. The last stanza I thought has you down as a mirror reflecting what people want to see. The first stanza seemed angry and disappointed with being in the dark. All the same a profound write.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your words, andrew,
j.

[John the Baptist]

Outdoor bathing in the wee hours has a racy sound to it, but here I think it is symbolic of something else. The poet is saying his words reveal his reality, but all who read them don't appreciate them properly. Some only want to see themselves in them.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your insightful review, John,
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

A heartfelt poem, love the dark and light images, and the message (i believe) is that we all have to respect each other's work; we have to play fair and not let others steal our passion, our timeline, our brilliance
"who only want to use me to see into themselves"
Like this one J
Warmly, B

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind words, Betty,
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

Always a pleasure.J
Warmly
B.

[Tom]

The light thst once burned brightly even effervesnently now muchly dimmed exuding little if any warmth, seems so unfair when others we once loved and trusted stole that brilliance and used it for their own agenda, insensate to the hurt caused to the one that so made them into a somebody..

As always a marvellous metaphor Jacob, the angst, despair, dissapointment and let down so palpable!!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your insight, Tom,
j.

[Desert Knave]

I like it. If one person sees into themselves based on something you write then you have probably accomplished something. Keep moon-bathing. ~Jim

[Arundass TP]

Nice poem. Title is very attractive and catching eyes. Good and enjoyed reading.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Arundass,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Jacob... I found this poem to be my favorite ... as it smothers me with intimacy in a precocious mood that seems to approve of romantic intermissions that tantalize my eyes and mind to dream and imagine a frolic through tulips and soft green moss. softly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind words, Pat,
j.

[Thomas W Case]

Powerful work. Great job.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Thomas,
j.