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the place smelled like the blues
 
it
smelled of
sweat and poverty
and last night’s turnip greens.
 
but,
it’s where he
did his best writing.
 
poems
filled with sadness
 
and
the agony of
a shot glass left empty
in a sink filled with dishes,
tears and more than a little regret.
 
..................................
 
ya gotta love it...
 
i was
rejected
this morning
by a magazine about
The Beats and Beat Life.  
 
it was
a nice enough rejection...
 
even kind.  
 
but,
what they said was:
my poems weren’t a good fit.  
 
think
about it:
 
in a
magazine
about The Beats,
my poems didn’t conform...
 
not
to their rules
 
and not
to their style.
 
if you ask me,
old Jack would have
poured himself a shot and smiled.
...........................................................................................
 
this is not
 
a poem
by, for or about
Charles Bukowski.  
 
he
is not
on my radar
 
and
his poems
no longer speak
to me the way they used to.  
 
truth
be told,
the only thing his
poems do for me now
 
is
show me
that he’s dead,
 
i’m not...
 
and
some day
soon will be.

Copyright © 2025 John Yamrus

These poems are from John Yamrus’ collection called DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER (Anxiety Press, 2025). You can purchase the book on Amazon.

Paperback

John Yamrus is widely recognized as a master of minimalism and the neo-noir in modern poetry. In a career spanning more than 50 years as a working writer, he has had more than 3,500 poems published in books, magazines and anthologies around the world. His writing is often taught in college and university courses. Three of his more than 40 books have been published in translation.  His newest book of poems is DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER: JUST GIVE HIM A GOOD PLACE TO HIDE.