Trash Truck 7: 38 A.M. (And Other Love Poems)

By Ed McManis

Only a poet of Ed McManis's sly ken would have the wicked good humor to favor us with a book of love poems titled, Trash Truck 7:38 AM. Tender, wry, potently infused with signs and signifiers that bespeak his Catholic youth and marriage, McManis's slim round-up d'amour, journeying cross the range and ways of love, travels far and tellingly into our varied hearts. Saturated in his struggle with sanctity and the comfort his wife finds in angels, this collection of poems, aching in their honesty, offers not Nerudan professions of romantic love, but the truth of love amidst fear and foible, faith and struggle, rectitude and transgression. The Trash Truck poems, gracefully crafted, sound a music of love that carries wordless between couples, and within family, through the strain of daily life-ineffable, magnificent, human.

-Marc Zegans, author of Lyon Street, The Snow Dead, and Swizzle Felt's First Folio from the Typewriter Underground

In his collection, Trash Truck 7:38 A.M. (And Other Love Poems), McManis navigates the intricate challenges of everyday life. His tender portrayal of marriage captures the profound complexity of connection, depicting a 40-year journey of spiritual and emotional growth. The poems resonate with self-reflection and the rhythm of daily living, showcasing the transformative power of love. McManis's vivid imagery highlights the beauty and depth of his relationship, offering a heartfelt guide to the specialness that can be found in a shared life.

-Gloria Mindock, editor of Červená Barva Press, award-winning author of Grief Touched the Sky at Night

This tight-knit, heartfelt, rigorously honest collection of poems about a long marriage dwells in the sweet spot between intimacy and the distance it sometimes requires. Forbearance, irony, humor, and deep, knowing affection partially bridge the gap. The poems, with their playful, lacerating romps in both the animal kingdom and the Old and New Testament, deepen with each reading.

-Linda Lancione, author of The Taste of Blood

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FY5Q2JJJ
• ISBN13: 9798899902420
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Finishing Line Press
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"