Poetry

Shajuan Jackson

Metropolitan Dream

If I could walk in her sleepless night,
I’d bask in the glow of her empire state
and roam the streets we paved
beneath the spotlight of her never-ending play.
I’d watch her flaunt the dream
in a green chiffon dress
on the steps of a cathedral,
and remember my promise, a ring.
I’d hustle 9-5 in the wind and rain,
going down dark alleys,
drifting asleep in the subway,
just to lay the bricks of her skyscraper dream.
I’d march with her village,
waving my flag in a sea of flags,
singing “Auld Land Syne”
in a shower of confetti, every year.
And in the morning,
I’d walk along her shores,
press my sole into her sand,
let her waves mingle with my toes
and catch her saltwater breeze.

Bachelor Pad

I thought if I left my face
buried in thought-laced pillows,
I would find the sea.
Instead, I heard silence
bounce from wall to wall
as if my mind was a video game.
The phone rings and I curl
into a blanket of air.
My rom-com marathon rolls a sequence
of distorted shapes and white noise.
I cling to the edge
of a king’s bed
waiting for the heater’s hum
to cast me asleep.

Shajuan Jackson was born and raised in Long Island, NY. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. He currently lives in Ohio and is graduating with an associate degree in business management with a certificate in Digital and Social Media Marketing at Eastern Gateway Community College. Throughout his life, writing has been a major form of his artistic expression.