‘In the Right-Side Pocket’, ‘Reflection’ & ‘Old Tiger’
Jericha White is a Southwestern transplant who incorporates Southern gothic themes into her photography.
in the right-side pocket
of my old, oversized leather jacket
is a long, crumpled up receipt,
straightened and wrinkled a dozen times.
i wrote down everything
i ever loved about you,
tried to organize you into a list,
but you never quite followed the rules.
i couldn’t force you into my charts
or the inventory of the company freezer.
so i froze you into a picture
of someone i used to love,
my receipt, a record of what i chose,
but you never followed through.
i shove the receipt down in my pocket,
love the list i thought was you.
reflection
i wish i could make you feel
the things i feel, the way you make
me feel when you push
your feelings off
onto me.
so then maybe
you could see that my hurt
is not hurting you, that
your response to my
response is not actually
your response, but only
a broken mirror reflecting
another mirror reflecting
the truth back at
you, with all the cracks
that make up your
world, a fairy tale created just
to seal them up and i
can feel all
of your feelings,
but i am not your reflection, so
try to remember not
to shoot the messenger.
Old Tiger
there is an old tiger in a cage,
he paces around the enclosure
in slow, deliberate, measured steps,
growing weaker with each passing day.
his joints creak and his legs quiver
i am too young to have seen him run.
i spoke with the tiger, once, in his cage,
a great many years ago.
he wanted me to come inside his cage,
to never hope for more.
it’s safe in here, i love you,
that old tiger once said to me.
Ashton Emerson is a music teacher, poet, and butch dyke based in Baltimore, MD. He holds an M.M. from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. In his writing, Emerson explores subjects like family trauma, mental illness, grief, and recovery alongside natural imagery. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Ashton Emerson ashtoneworley@gmail.com 919-720-1690
