Then

Then

I can't overcome

the ashes that will rest

in the cool lake water

there is an intimacy 

associated with the end

almost a comfortable silence

approaching

it feels imminent

I smile and laugh

as if I live nothing

but whims

desperate tears

hidden in a dark room

of despair mixed with indignant

rebuff

I won't go quietly

until I do go quietly

kicking up a fuss

means little when then

is now

and it is time to reserve a cloud

on which to float silently away

I smile and laugh

and will

even after my last breath

tastes that cool water.

erin-cilberto

2/9/25

Reviews

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Facing our own mortality can be brutal hard and scary at first. I hope it’s a long way off for us all but at same time look forward to seeing my passed on relatives and creator my God that I personally believe in. I will miss my family and kids and nature

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, there are folks I look forward to seeing again if that is what happens.
thank you, Julie,
j.

[Sami Khalil]

Death is a must to us all; when our time comes, we turn back to dust. Our spirits will await judgement day when God recreates new bodies for our spirits and face His judgement.
Until then, let us leave a good legacy and help humanity in good ways.
Best wishes on your journey Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for your kind response, Sami,
j.

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome sir Jacob.

[Stella Armour]

"Do not go gentle into that good night"

I must admit that being older than you Jacob i get this feeling of slipping into a peaceful cloud and letting it take me away , but then my stubborn soul kicks out and i shake it off for the time being. I try to remember that round the next corner there might be something i don't want to miss 😄

Stella

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, I get it....and I am rounding as many corners as I can now...with time getting slimmer.
j.

[K. Louis]

I hope then is not now. This was raw and honest. Well written.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, K.
j.

[Poetic Beauty]

I believe you lines we won’t go quietly until we do, is absolutely correct. This whole poem is more to the fact and blunt about when the times come for departure of this earth and it is done well with inside thoughts poured into it

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I know, I seldom write so bluntly, but every so often a theme calls for that...and I am directed by the muse, a conduit...I get little say in what I write...most often I feel like a plagiarist rather than a writer.
thank you, P.B.
j.

[Poetic Beauty]

I really enjoyed the blunt matter of fact thought in this poem. It was like taking a stroll through someone’s thoughts swirling. I enjoyed this poem

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Jacob... your feelings are predictable... somehow I believe that it is not your Time... and so you can sip the Cool water and feel the Glow of a new Day,,, and Stay until we can gather at the River where Angels Pray. softly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

for me, the gathering will be at a lake in Vermont.
thank you and bless you, Pat,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

Awww... the trees must be beautiful in Vermont and the River bursting with Sighs... we need to linger through the Spring and Summer as we hunger for closure on our Journey... to the Galaxy where our loved ones walk the paths of Gold. Tenderly, Pat