Rebecca – by PREWITT SCOTT-JACKSON

Rebecca

 

I ditched wallball for

hand-holding in the mesquite grove

 

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Saved for pegs and

converted my bike into a two-seater

 

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In the face of my pagan upbringing

I learned Bible verses for her

 

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Even the Jesus bracelets she adorned failed

to deter my love

 

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Rebecca

 

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She sang in the church choir,

the school choir, any choir that would have her

 

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The choir boys worshiped at her alter,

as did I

 

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And me?

I was no choir boy

 

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We ’90s children of divorce were engineered to rage:

 

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Fights after school behind Albertsons,

tweenage bloodied loading docks

 

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Shoplifting compact discs from Circuit City,

cheating every arcade at Tilt

 

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I never met a fire alarm I didn’t pull

I never met a wall I didn’t spray paint

I never met a bottle of MD 20/20 I didn’t take a swig from

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Somehow she found me

Somehow she liked me

Somehow

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I

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loved

 

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her.

 

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Rebecca

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***

Prewitt Scott-Jackson’s work is a mutation of sorts, a tripartition of poetry, prose and flash fiction. The University of California Santa Barbara alum grew up on Southern storytelling prior to achieving degrees in Native American Studies and Religious Studies.

*Featured artwork courtesy of the brilliant Toby Penney; to learn more about her, check out our interview here: https://sicklitmagazine.com/2015/12/04/art-with-toby-penney/ *