LatinosUSA

One of the most prolific and respected poetry writers on the scene today, John Yamrus has been turning out his own brand of uniquely interesting poetry for more than 50 years. His new book, “SERIOUSLY!” is a collection of 31 new poems that blend his signature minimalism with a wild snarky humor that puts this writer in a class of his own. In addition to dozens of volumes of poetry, Yamrus has also published several novels, a children’s book, and 3 memoirs.

Sample poems

she cut her hair,

bought
all new clothes

and
changed her
name to Tawny O’Dell.

the way
she looked at it,
it was a good first step
away from Whitaker…that son of a bitch.

he
never
in a million years
should have done what he did.

~~

he swore

he
could hear
the heartbeats
of tiny animals…

the
sound
of peaches sweating.

once,
a long time ago,
he had a name and a life

and
people
who loved him,
but that was all gone.

and
no matter
what else went down,
he’d make sure Eddie would pay.

no
matter what.

~~

Eddie loved history.

he
could
tell you about
any war that was
ever fought, anywhere.

he
could even
tell you everything
about The War of Jenkin’s Ear

(it’s real, look it up.)

he
bragged
about reading
every translation of
Les Misérables he could
get his hands on, just for the parts

about
Napoleon
and Chateaubriand
(the writer, not the food).

Eddie loved
old rock and roll…

the
jazz piano
of Cedar Walton…

and birds.

Eddie
was one of a kind.

Eddie lived
most of his life
on the corner of Third and Spruce

where he
pulled a wagon
and sold pencils and hats
to people who rarely ever stopped

and
never gave
a shit about Les Miz
or poor old Jenkin’s ear.

To purchase: