Jacob Reina
Jacob Reina
Jacob Reina studied English at Fresno State and works as a substitute teacher by day and as a cook by night. Being heavily inspired by Impressionism and Expressionism; his poetry and stories largely focus on the impacts made by deep emotions, the chaos of human relationships, and our momentary connections with nature and art. His work has been features in a variety of journals, including Watershed Review, New York Quarterly, Rougarou, Paper Dragon, and Atmosphere Press, among others. He loves his wife, his children, and going on spontaneous adventures.
The New Year
I could walk out right now
Onto the damp lanes
Lined with pavement sleepers
Beneath the midnight sky
Drained of all its wishes, untaken
(The offer won't last forever)
And make my long, lonely way
Toward the old almond orchards
Where I once devoured chianti
As a fat owl flapped its wings
Over the narrow canal,
Where the moonlight splashed,
Dancing like a known drunk—
That was when the almond shells fell—
I grabbed them, flung them far—
Far as these bruised arms could take—
Listened to the song of new, found chance.
And in such a state, a wild eruption
Of frantic doves, fleeing together,
Rang on into the twin cloudless sky,
Echoing from my blistered mouth.
Yes (don't be fooled), that was my laughter.
If you enjoyed Jacob Reina’s poem The New Year, please check out his recently published work Purity of the Sky.