Poetry: These Days, By John Yamrus

these days,

 

the 

church bell’s 

no longer a bell, 

just a recording on a timer, 

 

but,

there was a time 

when it was a real bell 

 

and 

it took someone 

to come every morning,

 

and 

actually pull the 

ropes that rang the bell.

 

and 

when i was 

a kid that person 

was my friend Paul’s father,

 

who 

was the custodian 

for the school and the church 

 

and

he also 

worked at

the bowling alley 

next door and he was fat 

and bald and i remember the time 

we were playing ball in the school yard, 

 

and 

Paul’s father 

was using a chain saw 

 

to 

trim the trees 

that were our right field fence. 

 

he 

was wearing 

leather gloves and 

 

they 

somehow 

got caught in the chain 

 

and 

he cut off 

all the fingers 

on his hand except for the thumb,

 

and 

i can still remember 

seeing him standing there, 

 

laughing,

 

while 

he looked 

down at the glove 

and what was left of his fingers, 

 

his 

thumb 

and his life.

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.