James Croal Jackson

James Croal Jackson

James Croal Jackson is a Filipino-American poet who works in film production. His latest chapbooks are A God You Believed In (Pinhole Poetry, 2023) and Count Seeds With Me (Ethel Zine & Micro-Press, 2022). Recent poems are in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The Lakeshore Review, and The Round. He edits The Mantle Poetry from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Check out jamescroaljackson.com. James recommends 1Hood Media.

I don’t want to burn
in our everlasting sun
or drown in the endless
ocean of our truth I have
​traveled wide in the waves

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I was going to throw away the water
bottle then the river spoke: DO NOT
SPIT GUM INTO THE URINALS.

I was transformed. Red bumps rose
​along the collar of my hand and I

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In the bask of computer light my boss
says watch for leaks in the room.
I know now what to pray for. Thunder
burps and rain’s radio static steadies

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