Photo by Joe deSousa on Unsplash

James Croal Jackson

Bloody Mary
 
The legend, according to my sister, goes
lock yourself in the bathroom, turn off
the lights, say Bloody Mary, spin three times,
 
then voila! She appears, bloodied,
hands on her face screaming
à la Edvard Munch painting.
 
I obviously don’t believe this but
do you have the courage to try?
 
Catholic school vacuumed religion right
out of me, but I blanket my head in bed
when I can’t explain a house’s creaking.
 
Believe me– if I believed
that I believed, this wouldn’t be
so scary. I’d ask God to help me.
 
Say I try this now.                                       
 
Would a vision make me a believer?
Me, an adult in a bathroom,
chanting a name into the dark.
 
When my eyes finally opened,
I’d pray to anything– the bathtub,
the toilet, the sink, the sliver of
 
light beneath the door.

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James Croal Jackson is the author of The Frayed Edge of Memory (Writing Knights Press, 2017). His poetry has appeared in Hobart, FLAPPERHOUSE, Yes Poetry, and elsewhere. He edits The Mantle, a poetry journal. Find him in Columbus, Ohio or at jimjakk.com.