Those Who Wait: Poems by Justin Strawser

by Justin Strawser

194 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2026

Reviews

[Ash]

Those Who Wait is an evocative poetry collection about grief, depression, and the joy of falling in love with life. The pieces in this book are among the rawest and most heartfelt I've ever read. Several poems made me stop to reflect and wonder who put a mirror to my face when I wasn't looking. These pieces are deeply relatable, often tragically so, as the pain on these pages is palpable. The organization of its themes work well, and the artwork on some pages highlight the individual pieces' messages. The decision to end this book with poems of happiness and celebrations of sweet domesticity stands as a testament that storms do end, and it lets the book have a beautiful legacy of hope. These poems are gorgeous, with such vibrantly creative images painting masterpieces of human emotion, and I am humbled by the art within these pages and the catharsis they've brought me.