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At The Cemetery

Writing is a gamble

we put in our words,
pull the slot
and read back our
cherries and lemons -- 

the object is to publish
our addiction

to connect with a reader

our casinos, the clan-forums
of acceptance and rejection

The poet
(excluding the jingle writer) --
least paid-out of all 
literary devotionals -- 
priest and parishioner of countrysides
and hearts, secretly, vainly wonders 
if his life’s refrain
but another of man’s many dear epitaphs

summaries in stone

unweeded

and forgotten --

Copyright © Joe Dimino | Year Posted 2024

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Silent One Date: 3/16/2024 8:00:00 AM You are a clever writer Joe, your poem offers a thought-provoking exploration of your journey, highlighting the inherent risks and rewards of creative expression. It speaks to the universal struggles and aspirations of all artists, reminding us of the precarious yet fulfilling nature of the writer's calling. Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/16/2024 8:15:00 AM Writing fraught with dangers -- revealing of self more than we perhaps would like admit...revealing of something greater than self -- something we would like to hope, wishing to be part of greater connections. Perhaps, The Great Connection. Thank you, Si; blessings my friend.

Ink Empress Date: 3/16/2024 1:02:00 AM Dear joe, youv expressed your thoughts on writing and being a poet so effortlessly here. So well said. Poetry is the least sellable compared to many genres of books. And I absolutely love how you’ve phrased your lines. As for me i write to relieve myself as if i go a day without really writing it makes me anxious. I think for many it is the same. But we all have different reasons to write, i often get asked by friends that arent poets, why do i write when i dont get paid. But the truth is most poets do not think of the financial benefits of writing. And im one of them. Pleasure alwYs reading your work Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/16/2024 8:10:00 AM "One writes to relieve one's self":) There's a poem in that statement~ I had to smile: often wondering if what comes out of me is simply waste, another form of evacuation. Then there is another part, that senses deeper meaning, a spiritual swell, like Mount Etna, looking to change landscapes and the way we look at them both internally and outward. Who knows. Like you, I have to write. Blessings my friend.

Hilda Greenhough Date: 3/15/2024 8:28:00 PM Enlightened by this poem. I had forgotten the many graves in old cemeteries. Thanks for this poem. Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/15/2024 9:52:00 PM Thank you, Hilda; a meditation on life and purpose to be sure. Death and being forgotten, are not subjects that I dwell on, nor take into conscious consideration while writing -- but having desire not to be entirely dropped from existence, wondering if my writing has some redeemable, positive societal purpose outside of mere self serving ego?~not to admit so, would be a lie.

Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 3/15/2024 5:34:00 PM Hello Joe, a wonderful reflection on the writer's journey, filled with symbolism and raw honesty. The analogy of writing as a gamble beautifully captures the uncertainty and vulnerability inherent in sharing one's words with the world. I love how your words are filled with a sense of longing for connection and validation, while also acknowledging the possibility of being forgotten. Joe you captured the essence of the writer's struggle with such depth and sincerity. - Blessings, Daniel Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/15/2024 7:30:00 PM Thank you, Daniel; for such an in-depth analysis of this work -- I think writers, of all kinds, are always seeking with each new work some sense of reaching and touching, even for just a brief moment, that which is unreachable and untouchable in everyday rational experience -- I would write (poet license, assuming I somehow had a working pen with paper) no matter if alone, stranded on an island, with no hope of rescue, with a tidal wave on the horizon rapidly approaching to wash my sorry sun bleached carcass into oblivion~ with doom seconds away, yet, I would first cling to my pen and paper (after a rushed sign of the Cross), quickly composing an omnipotent raft with sail. For one who is addicted to writing, it is life's buoyancy.

Mystic Rose Rose Date: 3/15/2024 2:53:00 PM we write cuz its our passion whether we get paid or not, it has its own rewards Joe, :) Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/15/2024 7:03:00 PM I know, I hear ya -- we write to serve, the heart of self and that of the world. Have a great evening, Vie. Blessings.

Heidi Sands Date: 3/15/2024 8:39:00 AM Great one Joe. I tend to have things come to me for writing when I am driving or at night sometimes. We write so many places and times :) Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/15/2024 9:00:00 AM I hear you, we have this in common, seldom reading a book when I travel, just taking in...and writing in my mind. Loving the dear clutter. Blessings my friend.

Anne-Lise Andresen Date: 3/15/2024 8:00:00 AM - So true ... (poorly paid :) - Writing is part of my day ... even when I don't have the opportunity to write ... I "write" in my mind :) - Great poem, Joe :) - Have a lovely weekend :) - hugs Login to Reply Joe Dimino Date: 3/15/2024 8:07:00 AM Hi Anne; one has to love it, to do it -- you're a millionaire in my book. Blessings my friend. Have a wonderful, rich weekend...we write, write, and write!