Will we remember when we’re gone?
I remember one of the sillier things as a child
that seems so strange now
she would hang plastic eggs
on a tree in the front yard for the Easter holiday
dozens of them
like you or I would decorate a Christmas tree
it just didn’t seem like her
but after a while she didn’t seem like her
The easy life
there was a man
on the deck of a long cargo ship
moving toward the mouth of the Cuyahoga
he was sitting comfortably on a folding chair
as if he had done this a hundred times before
a beacon guiding the ship
through the winding river
he waved
I waved back
I wish I had it so easy
Copyright © 2025 Ken Tomaro
These poems are from Ken’s new book Standing Lonely in the Alley
Praise for Standing Lonely in the Alley
“Ken Tomaro’s new collection of poetry is a bitter tour de force of grief and disappointment, with humor guiding the poems throughout the chapbook. Ken writes with an acerbic wit in conversational free verse. Read him for his expression of life’s surprise and often tragic-comic experience, and read him for his craft.”
Robert Allen, author of Big Blue Hospital and Other Poems
“Ken Tomaro’s no-nonsense approach to poetry is ostensibly influenced by decades of adversity and the stressful ups and downs of daily life. However, the brilliance lies in the interwoven humor softening and sometimes mocking the sad and often dark corners of our lives. While this may admittedly be unintentional, the recurring harsh tone and subject matter of Ken’s words regularly hint at an underlying layer of optimism. His stark, observational style is undeniable, yet he occasionally recalls vignettes from his childhood, bringing additional flavors of nostalgia and sentimentality into his poetry. Ken sums up his personal trajectory best: ‘I certainly don’t have it straight and level now, but straighter than it has been.’”
Tom Heath, fan and friend since 1982
“In Standing Lonely in the Alley, Ken is a master chef, skilled at combining nostalgia, humor, pointed observations of life, and gut punches into a tasty dish of words you won’t forget.”
Nolcha Fox, author of Words into Elephants, Cancer Isn’t Just a Constellation, and others.
Purchase Link
Author Biography
Never until recently did he consider writing poetry. Not when he slid from the womb. Not when he felt the first tingle of teen hormones. Not after he got married, divorced, moved to another city, lost a couple of jobs, and moved back. It just sort of happened. Ken Tomaro, self-proclaimed poet laureate of the Cleveland sewer system, has been writing poetry for a few short years. He’s not famous, rich, recognized, or read in schools across America. He has been published in several literary journals, done a couple podcasts, started the YouTube channel, Screaming Down the Poetic Highway, and that’s pretty damn impressive.
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