One More Saturday Night on the eve of my birthday By Jake St. John

The clock ticks 

towards dawn

like the heels 

of the warden

echoing 

off the cold floor

of death row

it'll drive some

right over

the edge

but at this age 

it's all just noise

and I turn on the radio

to avoid the inevitable 

I'm not flying 

any white flags 

tonight

as the hours

pass like

exit signs

into the night

I'll carry on

and see this 

to the end

 

Jake St. John lives in the woods on the edge of the Salmon River. He is the author of several collections of poetry including 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