Poetry: Selections From John Yamrus

she looked me

 

right 

in the eye 

 

and said:

these things are incredible. 

 

your 

poems have wings.  

 

i’ll 

remember 

every single one of them 

 

for 

a long long time.  

 

then,

she put my book 

back on the table, turned 

 

and 

walked away.

 

 

 

there’s a ton

 

of 

reasons 

why Carl left, 

 

but,

if you ask Maggie, 

 

not 

one of them 

were any good 

and neither was Carl.

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.