Barnes & Noble
Water Forest Press Books
Intersection Blues
By jacob
erin-cilberto
With each successive collection of poems, it becomes
increasingly clear that we have a poetic genius in our midst. In this latest collection, jacob
erin-cilberto tests the limits of creativity, and the result is nothing short
of astounding, authentic, fresh poetry.
He gives us haiku, senryu, free
verse and acrostics all with equal expertise and skill.
In the title poem, he tells us he is “a poet stopped at a
red light”, but we come to realize, as
we read all the poems here, that he is merely at a crossroads of sorts, and
getting his bearings with keen observation, as he continues on his travels.
“The Composition of You” is a remarkably beautiful and
sentimental poem in which the speaker paints a vivid image of the object of his
affection for the reader, so we see the beauty through his eyes. One is reminded of Mona Lisa’s enigmatic
smile and gaze when the poet says:
i see under the layers
a posing of sadness
reaching the surface
in some code of suppressed memory
everything seems to
mean something else
Just as it is with DaVinci’s famous portrait, so it is with
erin-cilberto’s poem. With each reading,
we see another layer, another degree of complexity, and are drawn in by the
beauty of the words and we see it is a thing “to be held, to be appreciated”
and “not to be hung senselessly on a wall for show”.
The series of 5 poems,
“Run Ons – Splice” (1 through 5) is playful and imaginative, with the
poet creating meaning through structure.
They are like “pieces of [him] with no title”, so we don’t need
titles….we are allowed glimpses of his innermost feelings.
“anonymously unbecoming of e.e. cummings and not really
Creely” is one of the most unique and intriguing poems in the book. It is at once whimsical and reverent, paying
homage to all of the greats. The poet
claims he will:
“never go toe to toe
with Poe
nor match wits with
Whitman
keep the beat like
Keats
or write long and
mellow
like Longfellow”
As you read on, it becomes clear that the poet might be measuring
himself against the greats; yet, he does so much more than “skirt the rim of
some of them”. He proves that he is
worthy to be counted among them.
I marvel at his economy of words, and nowhere is it more
evident than in his “six-word poems”.
There is a saying that “brevity is the soul of wit”, and so it is
here. He says so much with so few words.
For example, “In Retrospect…a six word very short story” :
“I am, you are, we weren’t”
This simple phrase speaks volumes. It defines why relationships don’t work and I
would imagine that there aren’t many readers who cannot relate to this in some
way.
Yet another example of his concise use of language can be
found in “Fancy Meeting You Here” :
“…because fate
accidentally
intervenes
on purpose”
There is such basic truth in this paradox. It eloquently reminds us of the idea that
sometimes, people coming into our lives seems to be nothing short of
serendipitous.
But my favorite poem has to be “Neglected Returns”. I’ve read a lot of jacob’s poetry, and I
never cease to be amazed at this incredibly gifted poet. He would balk at being called a poetic
genius, preferring to see himself as a mere “conduit” of the words.
“again
never happens before
first times
and the last chance to
get it right
is the first time we
get it wrong”
This poet uses such simple and elegant words to convey such
complexity of thought. His poetry is as
humble as he is. This is pure
jacob. How fortunate for us that he has
stopped at this “intersection” to pause and share his gift with us.
~Jill Lapin-Zell
