Poetry: Most Days, By John Yamrus

most days,

 

all 

it took 

was 2 cigarettes 

and a couple glasses 

of 2 Buck Chuck and Karl 

was ready to face the world, but 

 

today 

was different. 

 

today 

he was gonna 

meet the mistake 

that was supposed to be his kid,

 

and 

nothing 

he could ever do 

 

would 

get him ready 

for a thing like that. 

 

i mean, 

what if she was nice? 

 

what 

if that skank 

of a bitch mother of hers 

 

was right 

 

and 

he ended up 

loving the kid? 

 

nothing 

he could think or do or say 

 

would ever 

get him ready 

for a hell of a thing 

as god damn good as 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.