a sore ass, unblessed
prose poems
I used ice to get the gum out of my hair.
I had no idea what I was doing, but then, I seldom do. It hasn't stopped me before. She said she wasn't looking for a serious relationship, and I said that was probably good, because I was not serious about too much of anything. Neither of us believed in Hell, so we got married. One day led to another, you know how it is, like Dorothy going down the yellow brick road, you take it one stride at a time. You begin at the beginning. How did the gum get into my hair? Now that's a good question.
1964, A blessing.
The boys wore blue slacks and white shirts with blue ties. The girls wore blue smock dresses with a white blouse. The nuns lined us up for the counting like prisoners of war in a camp. They had The Lord's blessing to beat us in the classroom. Jesus smiled when Sister berated us until we wept. Our sins were so great, so vast, that we needed to be broken. After all, we were eight years old. Time to grow up. And me? My ass was sore when the nun made me stand off to one side while Father blessed the class. I did not deserve The Lord's blessing. "Young master, I hope you learned something from this," the old priest told me. And I did. I absolutely did.
There was a young woman who became a ghost.
She had grown tired of being a human and suffering so. Let's call her Cathy. No one knew exactly what hurt Cathy, for she never told a soul, but watching her life was like watching a feather caught up in the wind. And since no one ever really understood her, when Cathy became a ghost, most people quickly forgot her. "Oh, it's too bad, isn't it?" They said things like that. But Cathy wasn't really gone, she was just a ghost now, and she lived on in shadows, and in dark rooms, and in those pleasant sounds that a soft rain makes. She became very soft as a ghost, a memory that lives on its own and has a will. And she lived on in the heart of one young man. Let's call him Elvin. Cathy's feather was always just a little out of Elvin’s reach. He tried to catch it, but he never could. But when Cathy became a ghost, well, Elvin caught that right away. Instantly. And so for a while longer, a few years, Cathy lived on as a ghost in dark rooms, in shadows, and in Elvin’s heart. She finally gave up on the shadows and the darkness, and then she just stayed in Elvin’s heart. Elvin eventually grew old, as those who continue to live do, and in that way, they did have a lifetime together. And she remained like the pleasant sounds that a soft rain makes. Forever. The end.
The end is always coming for us.
When the time comes, if I should die at night, I hope that I am fortunate enough to have seen that final sunset, to see the darkness cover all of the light, and then the world, and then the very last second of my life.
Likewise, if I die during the day, I would like to see that sunrise, the growing glow of light, here to bless and surround the world, to take away the darkness, and then to simply take away me.
James Lee Jobe
6.13.2026
Adios,
James
Beautiful poetic 😢 stories …🙏”eventually grew old, as those who continue to live do, and in that way..she remained like the pleasant sounds that a soft rain makes. Forever.” ☺️