I want to channel a simpler time
By James Croal Jackson

 

One without burdens. Without–
never mind. I’ve lost mine. I’m
brainless, more or less, the long
er I live. It feels cumulative. A
long tunnel. I’m reaching to
ward the exit. My arm can’t ex
tend enough to leave the sleeve

 

Rare

This November morning,
too cold to rise from bed,
I peek out the window
and find a bleeding steak–
ribeye sky rare, red,
and delicious

 

James Croal Jackson from U.S., works in film production. His most recent chapbooks are Count Seeds With Me, Ethel Zine & Micro-Press, 2022, and Our Past Leaves, Kelsay Books, 2021. Recent poems can be found in Stirring, White Wall Review, and Vagabond City Lit. He edits The Mantle Poetry from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.