Three Poems by Jake St. John

About You

I sit
at a table
alone
with my beer

listening to
a conversation
about tuning
a mandolin

and thinking
how I would
love to tune
these words

and make
them sing
the way I do
when thinking

about you

Oh City

Oh city of night
death and happiness
the beggars
and homeless
weep at your feet
Oh city of heartbreak
loss and forgiveness
the children play
in your streets
Oh city of dreams
pain and light
the stars in the sky
are drowned out
by your noise
Oh city of love
sing your song
so we can dance
together
in the gutter
Oh city of night
and light
and pain and death
blow your horn
for tomorrow
and for today
blow your horn
for the lost
ragged souls
of the dark
Oh city of night
blow your horn
for us.

Photography © TJ Edson

There are no more real rock stars…

There are
no more
real rock stars

there are
no words
or guitars
no drums
no alcohol
or pills
or drugs

no messages
no movements
no songwriters
or musicians
no depression
or art

there are
artificial voices
saying nothing
there are
machines
that warp
and abuse
the process

there are
no more
real rock stars

there are only
electric junkies

Jake St. John writes out of New London, CT and is the author of several collections of poetry and pamphlet poems including, Rotations (Night Ballet Press, 2015), Road (Wandering Head, 2014) I Talked To The Moon (Wandering Head, 2012), and Change of Address (Unarmed 2010). His work has appeared in numerous literary and arts magazines such as,The Blue Collar Review, Big Hammer, and The People’s Tribune. Since 2007 he has served as the editor of Elephant and co-editor of Flying Fish.

TJ Edson is the Art Director of Oddball Magazine and Manager of the Out of The Blue Art Gallery. He has also had work appear recently in Boston Compass.