Jay Thiemeyer is a fine Portland, Oregon poet who has spent over two decades living on the streets struggling with the issues of homelessness. His poems speak compassionately and truthfully to the reality of life on the street, and of the people who live there. His new chapbook, Marginal Notes, is scheduled to be released [...]

One busy weekday I sat at Costello’s sipping an Americano, when a thirty-something woman at the next table engaged me in conversation. She said she was on vacation, and couldn’t figure out “what all these people do for work,” that they could just sit around at a cafe “playing with their computers.” I pointed out [...]

old man walking to the corner store
old man you’re walking to the corner store
shoulder’s aching and your legs are sore
your body’s aching and your legs are sore
old man walking by the bus stop
old man walking past the bus stop
your feet are weary and the day is hot
you take a shortcut across the parking lot
old man [...]

oh say can you see
through the rockets red glare,
through the bombs bursting in air,
through your patriots cold stare
all the dead children lying there?
all the little osamas fair?
here on the ramparts i stand
here in this holiest holy land
just another american man
with my automatic weapon in hand
here i stand in god’s good grace
with a smile upon my [...]