The Locust Years

by Paul J. Pastor

The time is dark.

The time is wild.

So fill the lamp.

So guide the child.

The Locust Years explores a world of mystery and sorrow, desolation and love. Rooted in the Pacific Northwest, these poems offer readers an invitation to walk along a path pebbled with profound joy and deep loss. Pastor’s contemplation of the strange and wondrous happenings of the natural world and devoted attention to the human experience are chronicled in language worthy of our journey through this life. Featuring riveting original illustrations from acclaimed artist Michael Cook, this unforgettable new poetry collection from one of our most exciting contemporary American writers is exquisitely crafted, joyously triumphant, and rich to its core with wisdom, wonder, and weathered, hard-won peace. May you find it to be a beloved companion for years to come.

Genres: Poetry

129 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Scott Bielinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest poems about hope and resilience amidst grief and tragedy. Shot through with the hope of a Day-to-come, a Day of healing. Lovely.

Advice

Forsake all Beauty if you can,
and from her truth break free,
for in an age of ugly things
the good brings misery.

But if her spear is in your spleen
and you can't shake her off,
then give your life for love of her
and count that good enough.

[Carmen Imes · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are poems to return to again and again, to savor and ponder.

[Cameron Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, yeah!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this collection of poetry. In any volume there will always be poems that don’t connect with the reader for some reason, but this book had a much higher percentage of entries that I already am sure will be regular companions in multiple re-readings.

[T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Sally Thomas's review:

In an era whose poetry so often adopts the same voice—the sort of voice that begins, I need you to understand…—Pastor’s poems declare their territory in a voice that in its biblical cadences often seems inherited from Whitman, as in “Annus Mirabilis,” with its psalm-like repetitions and rephrasings: “It was the year of changes; of pyrite in the stream, and mica; / the year that it has been since we can remember.” The question that opens the poem’s second section particularly recalls Whitman, though also the speaker of Psalm 43:5: “Where now is your wisdom, my soul?”

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[Michael Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Eric Cyr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul's poetry is beautiful and incantatory, naturalistic and spiritual. A really lovely book.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A really enjoyable collection. My only (small) complaint is that a few of the poems seem less accessible, more obscure, as though the meaning has been intentionally hidden.