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This poem is from John Yamrus' book PRESENT TENSE.

my friend Ted
 
always
wanted to write.
 
he said
he said he knew
he had a book in him...
 
of course,
everyone does...
 
but, Ted really did.
 
the
problem was
Ted loved to talk...
 
he
was a better
talker than a writer.
 
when
he talked,
people listened.
 
and
when he paused,
they held their breath.
 
Ted used to
call me and talk about
the book he wanted to write...
 
about
what it was like
for him growing up during the war...
 
it was
World War II
and Ted had some stories...
 
good ones.
 
interesting ones.
 
the problem was,
except for some notes,
he never really wrote them down.
 
and
the only one
left to tell you that
 
is me.

© John Yamrus 

PRESENT TENSE is available in paperback on Amazon.

From the Introduction

“In the humdrum of daily existence, John Yamrus exposes the extraordinary within the ordinary, weaving a complex portrait of human experience. His poetry doesn’t just skim the surface; it reveals the often-overlooked turbulence beneath everyday facades, suggesting that even the most mundane moments are steeped in profound significance. This collection stands as a testament to Yamrus’s keen grasp of the human condition.”

My Review of PRESENT TENSE on Amazon

What is the present tense? It’s the verb tense we use in the here and now. But define “here and now”. It’s temporal, quickly moving into the past. We can look at the present time as a moment or a state worth savoring in meditation. 

Although the book is titled PRESENT TENSE, most of the poems describe people and their experiences in the past tense. He gives us quick snapshots of people who have experienced disconnection and loss. The bliss of the “I am” present moment is not sustainable.

Yamrus’ poem “he said” describes the elusive present time well. 

it’s like
that moment
just before drowning…

you’re not
under the water

and you’re
not out of the water…

the only
thing you know
is you’re not dead yet.

The brevity of the poems belies short-lived joy and sometimes slivers of hope. Yamrus is a neo-noir poet, so his tone is straight-forward, lacking sentimentality. In “she wasn’t empty”, he writes, “she / was filled / with emptiness… / and / the difference / drove him absolutely / and completely / mad.

Yamrus’ book PRESENT TENSE is commentary on what it means to be human. He capture love, life, and death with honesty and compassion.  Barbara Leonhard

Author Biography

John Yamrus is widely recognized as 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.