Suburbia in a Martini Mind

middle class glass breaks
so easily from cornered ice cubes
and pent up emotion never really expressed

a cup of coffee in the morning with our reservations
the cocktail party chatter that isn’t the heart of the matter
just chatter that is a smattering of unaddressed truths

the things that are unsaid because it’s
“none of their business”
and it won’t look good,
smear the appearance
cut the pretensions in half

questions half listened to
answers half given
as we try to make an impression
on nobody who really matters

life is guts and love
and loving from the gut of who we really are
not some facade of a being
with no interior

it’s just what it looks like
unless we actually look

then instead, it’s half questions
half answers
and words that might have meaning
if we give them half a chance.

By jacob erin-cilberto

Biography:

jacob erin-cilberto, originally from Bronx, NY, now resides in Carbondale, Illinois.  erin-cilberto has been writing and publishing poetry since 1970.  He currently teaches at John A. Logan and Shawnee Community colleges in Southern Illinois.

His work has appeared in numerous small magazines and journals including: Café Review, Skyline Magazine, Hudson View, Wind Journal, Pegasus, Parnassus and others. erin-cilberto also writes reviews of poetry books for Chiron Review, Skyline Review, Birchbrook Press and others.  He has reviewed books by B.Z Niditch, Michael Miller, Barry Wallenstein, Marcus Rome, musician Tom MacLear and others. Erin-cilberto’s latest book demolitions and reconstructions is forthcoming in late April /early May. His previous three books an Abstract Waltz, Used Lanterns and Intersection Blues are available through Water Forest Press. His books are also available on Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com as well as Goodreads. erin-cilberto has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in Poetry in 2006-2007-2008 and again in 2010. He teaches poetry workshops for Heartland Writers Guild, Southern Illinois Writers Guild and Union County Writers Guild.