Poetry: Voltaire Said By John Yamrus

Voltaire said

 

Cicero was 

the greatest and 

most elegant philosopher...

 

i say 

Voltaire was full of shit.  

 

he 

never 

met my uncle Dutch,

 

or 

saw him 

standing in his 

kitchen Christmas night, 

smelling of beer and cigarettes, 

 

four

months away 

from being dead 

and still able to look 

out at the world and smile.

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.