Poetry: Almost By John Yamrus
almost
from
the
day
they could
walk,
the Kelly
boys were
never
called Walter and James...
they
were
always
Fat and
Fatter...and
even
though he
was
the
heavier of the two,
James
was Fat and Walter was Fatter.
it
made
no
sense,
but
nothing
ever does
when you’re 12
and
you
got
no
friends.
it
took
a lot of
work
and a lot
of years,
but,
Fat
eventually
lost the
weight,
changed
his name to
Montana
Todd and moved to Idaho,
where
he ran
a
health
food store,
until he
got cancer and
on the day
he died he weighed 87 pounds
and
Fatter
never did
leave town,
and just
got
fatter
and
that
was the
end of that.
John Yamrus is one of the most prolific writers of poetry on the scene today, He is widely considered to be a master of minimalism and the neo-noir in modern poetry. The relaxed style of his writing can be seen as a continuation of the oral tradition of literature associated with Allen Ginsberg and The Beats, and his poems are best appreciated when read aloud. The unlikely pairing of often dark subjects, combined with humor and irreverence has become something of a trademark of his work. His nearly 50 published books, which include not only poetry, but also novels, memoirs and a children’s book, are beginning to appear in translation, and he is a frequent guest on podcasts and television programs. His acclaimed memoir, The Street, is a look back at his early years, growing up less than wealthy, in a Pennsylvania coal town in the late 1950s. His latest books include: seriously! and Doing Cartwheels on Doomsday Afternoon.