Synkroniciti is excited to welcome back poet Jacob R. Moses, AKA Jack M. Freedman, from Staten Island, New York, with “Guttersnipe,” a sharp rebuttal of society’s attempt to silence and discard people it has already marginalized. “I will emerge from destitution/ Like dead leaves swept out/ Of the very gutter you/ Attempt to keep pristine.” When society denies people in difficult situations their humanity, it is not only unjust, but short-sighted. People who do not conform or belong can show us the tenacity, energy, and yes, beauty, of the human spirit, capable of surviving without approval in harsh circumstances. Money and status are such transitory things–an illness, a natural disaster, an accident, theft or betrayal can take them away in an instant. If you lost everything tomorrow, how would you remain standing? Jacob has an energetic, percussive, slam poetry energy that jumps off the page, demanding to be read aloud. He possesses an impressive vocabulary and skill, reminding us than many of our working poor are artists trying to make a living in a culture that doesn’t value their extraordinary gifts.
Read “Guttersnipe” in Synkroniciti’s “Belonging” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/. You may remember that Jacob R. Moses (as Jack M. Freedman) was the cover artist for Synkroniciti’s “Ritual” issue with his marvelous photo, Cauldron.
Jacob R. Moses (Jack M. Freedman) is a poet and spoken word artist from Staten Island, NY. Publications featuring his work span the globe. Countries where poems found homes include USA, Canada. UK, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Nigeria, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Thailand.
He penned the chapbooks …and the willow smiled (Cyberwit, 2019), Art Therapy 101 (Cyberwit, 2019), and Seance (Cyberwit, 2020). His most recent book is Grimoire (iiPublishing, 2021). It is a full-length poetry collection written in the form of a book of spells.