new from above/ground press: Look Out, Yellow Umbrella, by Jason Heroux

Look Out, Yellow Umbrella
Jason Heroux
$6

Can U help me, yellow umbrella?

Yellow umbrella, can U tell me?

Come here, yellow umbrella, come in.

Yellow umbrella, can U speak?

I am Jason, yellow umbrella, who are U?

What’s Ur name, yellow umbrella?

How do U spell yellow umbrella?

Yellow umbrella, I don’t understand.

Yellow umbrella, when do U open?

Where is Ur entrance, yellow umbrella?  

Are U open at the moment, yellow umbrella?

How long is the wait, yellow umbrella?

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
July 2026
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Author’s note:

This manuscript was inspired by two influences: a recent painting titled “Oblivion” (2026) painted by my Grade 11 English teacher, Maurice Krystal, and a pamphlet called English-Swahili Useful Phrases, written by Aime F Lacasse, W.F. (T.M.P. Book Department, Tabora, undated).

back cover image: Maurice Krystal, “Oblivion” (2026)

Jason Heroux resides in Kingston, Ontario, works at ServiceOntario and lives with his wife Soheir and their two cats, Pablo and Neruda. He is the author of five books of poetry: Memoirs of an Alias (2004), Emergency Hallelujah (2008), Natural Capital (2012), Hard Work Cheering Up Sad Machines (2016), and Like a Trophy from the Sun (2024), which was listed on CBC’s list of “44 Canadian poetry collections to watch for in fall 2024.” His short story collection Survivors of the Hive (2023) was also listed among the best books of the year by The Miramichi Reader and 49th Shelf.  A new collection of poems, Unfinished Wilderness (A Feed Dog Book, Anvil Press), is forthcoming in Fall 2026. He was the third Poet Laureate for the City of Kingston, Ontario, from 2019 to 2022.

This is Heroux’s fourth above/ground press chapbook, after Something or Other (2023), A Further Introduction to Bingo, with Dag T. Straumsvåg (2024), and My Life as a Notebook (2025).

To order, send cheques (add $2 for postage; in US, add $3; outside North America, add $7) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com