Poetry: He Named The Dog Hacksaw, By John Yamrus

he named the dog Hacksaw,

 

not 

because 

it was big and 

tough, or anything like that, 

 

or 

because 

the poor little thing 

only had three legs and 

two of those didn’t work that good.  

 

no, 

he named 

the dog Hacksaw 

because he read it in a book 

 

about 

the Black Dahlia, 

 

and 

he thought it 

was a cool name for a dog. 

 

and now 

the only thing 

left for him to do 

was find another dog, 

 

because 

Dahlia was such 

a god damn pretty name.

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.