Poetry: He Loved By John Yamrus

he loved

 

the 

music 

of Miles Davis...

 

the 

paintings of 

Renoir, Degas and Utrillo.  

 

he 

loved 

sitting on the porch 

reading Tolstoy and Zola and Proust.

 

but,

more than 

anything else 

 

he 

loved that 

funny little scar 

on the back of Jessica’s thigh.

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.