meme

So you made a carrot soufflé–
no one cares about the mush

orange and earthy you made
in the oven. That shit is under

control. Look instead at Joshua
trees burning down the desert

runway. That’s a catwalk. A
catcall to the Earth from

your rolled-down pickup
truck window. See

how hot they are? It’s
like those cruel videos

where the cat’s caretaker
places a cucumber

behind the off-guard animal,
and people laugh

as the creature flees in
surprise terror.

These videos were big
for a summer. This

slideshow of tiny
cruelties– it’s harder

to find new spaces
to hide.

(originally published in G*MOB, Spring 2022)

boys who would be future men squealed at new Pokemon. mimicked moves, karate'd birds flapping and winging and flinging OVER NINE THOUSAND! miles per hour and things eight-dollar K-B Toys always break blue mega man onto metal bunk bed swung CLANKCLUNK sprints'a from kitchen, lotsa surge, hi-ye-ho bullet train small-scale rail the basement digging digging through purple bin TREASURE! TREASURE! homemade pogs; on one side the cut-out cartoons from game manuals, Zero so cool his long blonde hair, red armor give me his sword no it's mine x-buster circular cutting rise to heroes controlled control was so easy yes, yes, think of life– death in digital terms those boys were the masters then the future men and their cold basement summers (originally published in Suburban Diaspora)

James Croal Jackson

Poet / Editor

Catcall / Catastrophe

Future Men