on friday i got a $200 brick
put thru my account
so i’m grocery shopping at Dollar Tree –
tryin to find five-star ingredients
to make dinner for my man & me

but the frozen broccoli is only stems
& the best by dates all took off after
some hot young blonde thing, the past –
mine’s more concerned with the future

so we refrigerate our accounts
to have enough for gas
to get us to the courthouse
for holy McMatrimony

i’ll pick up some artificial flowers
i can hold down every aisle –
ones that match the interior of
our furnitureless apartment

we’ll need shelf-stable photo frames
for it’ll be ten years before we push strollers –
longer than the time it takes for your ring
to turn my finger green

Contributor Bio:

Jawn Van Jacobs is a rock n roll poet who holds back nothing in the name of poetry. His work has appeared in Cool Beans Lit, Moonday Magazine, Red Cedar Review and Paper Dragon. Jawn’s poetry explores the raw, untamed narratives of outlaws and mystics, shedding light on the lives of those living on the fringes of society. His forthcoming chapbook, bastard bee, will be published by Finishing Line Press in August 2025.