Poetry: Selections from John Yamrus

so, here i am again,

 

stuck 

in the middle 

of another poetry war.  

 

the New Formalists, 

who are always more structured, 

 

prepared 

and organized, 

 

seem 

to be winning, 

 

but,

we on the

Radical Left, 

we have no rules.

 

we’re 

better at 

thinking on our feet.  

 

we’re happy 

to make it up along the way.  

 

unlike 

our enemies on the Right, 

 

we’re 

ready, willing and able 

(no matter how high the building we’re in) 

 

to 

jump out 

any window 

that’s left open.

he cut

 

both 

his wrists 

 

and 

his throat.

 

he

locked 

the doors and 

turned on the gas...

 

they 

couldn’t 

figure out if it was 

 

uncontrolled rage 

or just another example 

of compulsive thoroughness.

John Yamrus has been a working writer for over 50 years, publishing 35 books, including 29 poetry collections, 2 novels, and 3 volumes of non-fiction. His work has appeared in nearly 3,000 magazines and anthologies worldwide. Recently, The Street and Present Tense were released by Anxiety Press.