Pete Justus
Pete Justus is a Southern California poet whose work often merges historical narrative and personal observation. A retired history teacher, Pete’s professional discipline informs his poetic lens, looking closely at what remains of the past within the present. His involvement in the Southern California literary scene spans decades, including his tenure as a host at the famed Midnight Special Bookstore and his role as the co-founder and inaugural host of the long-running Rapp Saloon reading series in Santa Monica. Deeply committed to the next generation of writers, Pete also founded “The Pen is Mightier,” a reading series that brought established Southland poets to his students at Westchester High School inspiring hundreds to find their own voices. He is the author of two collections, The Edge of a Brighter Day and Truths, Taps and Time.
Pete Justus is a Southern California poet whose work often merges historical narrative and personal observation. A retired history teacher, Pete’s professional discipline informs his poetic lens, looking closely at what remains of the past within the present. His involvement in the Southern California literary scene spans decades, including his tenure as a host at the famed Midnight Special Bookstore and his role as the co-founder and inaugural host of the long-running Rapp Saloon reading series in Santa Monica. Deeply committed to the next generation of writers, Pete also founded “The Pen is Mightier,” a reading series that brought established Southland poets to his students at Westchester High School inspiring hundreds to find their own voices. He is the author of two collections, The Edge of a Brighter Day and Truths, Taps and Time.
Lost
Feeling lost and down
Isolated and alone
Left out and left off
Invisible to the naked eye
A cipher in an open world
A lost package in the dead letter office
A pair of tennis shoes hanging on a telephone line
A deck of cards missing a jack and an ace
A castaway on an island without Wilson
A comet on a long elliptical journey to nowhere
A last tree standing
A penny ignored on the sidewalk
Like I used to feel back in the day
Shooting baskets on an empty court
Getting back into my empty car
Driving to my empty house
For another wasted day in this empty life
Feeling lost and down
Isolated and alone
Left out and left off
Invisible to the naked eye
A cipher in an open world
A lost package in the dead letter office
A pair of tennis shoes hanging on a telephone line
A deck of cards missing a jack and an ace
A castaway on an island without Wilson
A comet on a long elliptical journey to nowhere
A last tree standing
A penny ignored on the sidewalk
Like I used to feel back in the day
Shooting baskets on an empty court
Getting back into my empty car
Driving to my empty house
For another wasted day in this empty life
© 2026 Pete Justus
Pete Justuswas a Featured Poet at the June 2026 Second Sunday Poetry Series
Pete Justuswas a Featured Poet at the June 2026 Second Sunday Poetry Series