Outside the 33 By Jake St. John

I was reading 

on stage 

one night 

at a local joint. 

After my set

the whole bar 

cleared out

for a smoke. 

I figured 

instead of sitting 

waiting at the lonesome bar

I’d join them. 

a person who saw my set

handed me a Camel

non filtered cigarette 

and said,

 “You’re punk as fuck.” 

I smiled 

and mumbled 

something genius like,

“Right on.”

Then thought to myself,

the only thing 

I know about punk rock

is the Sex Pistols 

and that's only 

because of 

Sid Vicious, 

but not the one everyone knows—

the pro wrestler

from the 1990’s

and for a guy like me

that’ll have to be

punk enough.

Jake St. John lives in the woods on the edge of the Salmon River. He is the author of several collections of poetry including Lips Leave Scars (with Jenn Knickerbocker, Whiskey City Press, 2023) Ring of Fog (Holy and Intoxicated Publications, 2022), Night Full of Diamonds (Whiskey City Press, 2021), and Lost City Highway (A Jabber Publication, 2019). He is the editor of Elephant and is considered an original member of the New London School of poetry. His poems have appeared in print and online journals around the world."

His current book, The 13th Round is published through Six Ft. Swells Press and is available everywhere please pick yourself up a copy today.

https://www.amazon.com/13th-Round-Jake-St-John/dp/B0F2KBGR8M