Read an Excerpt of Jamie Sharpe's Wonderfully Weird Everything You Hold Dear

Jamie Sharpe's previous poetry collections, Animal Husbandry Today, Cut-up Apologetic, and Dazzle Ships, showed the work of not only a witty and perceptive mind but a wildly creative one. 

His newest offering, Everything You Hold Dear (ECW Press) shows Sharpe at the height of his ability to surprise readers with delightful weirdness, out of the box storytelling, and subtle humour. A poetic mash up of memoir, imagination, and damn lies, Everything You Hold Dear is an utterly fresh and immensely readable collection. 

We're proud to present an excerpt from Everything You Hold Dear, courtesy of ECW Press. Get a taste for Sharpe's fun, smart, and utterly singular style in these poems. 

Excerpt from Everything You Hold Dear by Jamie Sharpe:

Ye Olde Horror Story

             Instrumental Break, 42 Bars

No character development beyond flimsy

careers, dire apartments, dumb catchphrases.

Kyle claimed he’d karaoke Hot Chocolate’s

“Every 1’s a Winner,” then murdered

Vangelis’ “Chariots of Fire.” We sat, pre-pub-

escent horndogs, waiting. Slain by anything

willing to alight on us. Drunk, indolent,

in love. Worship without devotion.

             Is this our last song?

             It is.

             Thank you weird,

             flaming knapsack.

Avalanche Kills One

Bought Stiegl Grapefruit Radler

and a condo overlooking

the detox centre

to view Alps

puke sour suns.

Thick, yellow voltas.

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This excerpt is taken from Everything You Hold Dear by Jamie Sharpe, copyright © 2020 by Jamie Sharpe. Published by ECW Press.

Jamie Sharpe is the author of three other collections of poetry: Animal Husbandry Today, Cut-up Apologetic, and Dazzle Ships. He lives in Comox, B.C.