I was reading 
on stage 
one night 
at a local joint. 

After my set
the whole bar 
cleared out
for a smoke. 

I figured 
instead of sitting 
waiting at the lonesome bar
I’d join them. 

a person who saw my set
handed me a Camel
non filtered cigarette 
and said,

 “You’re punk as fuck.” 

I smiled 
and mumbled 
something genius like,
“Right on.”
Then thought to myself,

the only thing 
I know about punk rock
is the Sex Pistols 

and that's only 
because of 
Sid Vicious, 
but not the one everyone knows—
the pro wrestler
from the 1990’s

and for a guy like me
that’ll have to be
punk enough.

Jake St. John has been referred to as “a neo-beat adventurer” who spends his time scratching down poems from aloft barstools and tree stumps scattered around New England. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including his latest, The 13th Round (Six Foot Swells Press, 2025). He is the editor of Elephant and is considered an original member of the New London School of Poets. His poems have appeared in print and online journals around the world.