Edward Vidaurre's El VIEJO takes the reader on a resigned journey into life, much like a determined man walking to the gallows but with a much much different gasp at the end. -Juan Ochoa is the author of the novel Mariguano and its prequel Pa'l Otro Lado and Other Tales of Bad Hombres and Nasty Women. This collection by Edward Vidaurre, El VIEJO, is an intimate work of wonder. Edward takes the time to "write about everything, catastrophes and small sadnesses/" He weaves you through his memories, all the legends, all the tenderness in the abundance of a life lived. To open up each page is to sit with his voice, his musings, his heartbreaks, his loves, his insides. He does not hide a thing in this collection. He has "written many poems about this solace and hurt." You cannot look away from this masterful voice; instead, take each line, like a breath, let it fill you up. This is a collection that will leave you full. -Lupe Mendez, Texas Poet Laureate Emeritus (2022 - 2023)