fraternity

2008 Fragment (College)

/ James Croal Jackson / Leave a comment

There is a picture of you standing
in a blue IKEA bag in the chapter

room because we wanted to find God,
me and Jack and Chris. That led us

to IKEA in Robinson, Pennsylvania
and I knew not to fall asleep

in your car but I did anyway. We
were toying with the brand new

Garmin. We knew the route it wanted
us to take was not the best but

we took it anyway because technology.
I wasn’t the one who was going to tell

the lady who locked us in the parking
garage we got stuck in that we needed

to be let out. You did, and I have the
picture in my memory of you telling

her. I wish I remembered the words.

(originally published in *82 Review, Fall 2022)

April 14, 2008

/ James Croal Jackson / Leave a comment

after inflatables
        and Friday night I went to the House
        after making fun of King
        Kong with the brothers
                Dance Marathon we first talked
                then went to Pizza King with Dabs
        accepted oxygen in my water as trees
        dead napkins we returned to Constitution
                played sober via HORSE
                with bottle and recycle bin

earlier I helped Gary with the Poker Mixer
           it was either the cheesy bread
           or Gatorade that got me
     we went to Walgreen’s for beef jerky
           along the way we stopped at Sara’s for Orloff
           at Fisher’s for refried beans

(originally published in Literary Forest, Fall 2022)

Beer Pong

/ James Croal Jackson / Leave a comment

beer pong is concentric
angles & behind-the-back
a miracle of physics

not that I understand
the finer maths of sport
I held an endless reservoir

of alcohol schoolnights turned
blue-lipped and blurred
pages flipped to I-don’t-know-

how-I-got-here one time
awakening on a bed of roses
at the belly of Constitution Hall

staring to the vacant moon
soaked in sticky juice a book
with its pages torn out

(published in HAD, 2022)

Past 4 A.M. at Pizza King

/ James Croal Jackson / Leave a comment

wasn’t that how life
was supposed to go?
ah, college followed

the whims of fun.
it turns out I stayed out
too late in its shadow

and now capitalism
is the only one
who wants me to follow.

he says
you’re thirty now
so have some drinks

and pizza
if you want
dab the grease

with a napkin first
but don’t limit
yourself to one

 

(originally published in children, churches, and daddies, Fall 2019)