outlaw poetry and free jazz network

hemorrhoids
this time it’s
hemorrhoids,
and they’ve been
bleeding since Sunday.
the doctor
wants me to have
surgery,
but i’ve been
putting it off.
needless to say,
it’s a real
pain in the ass.
i’ve even resorted
to shopping in the
women’s section
in the pharmacy…
buying pads
for the blood.
with not one
single
shred of dignity left
i take my
prescription,
the preparation H
and the pads
up to the counter
to pay.
the girl looks at me
and smiles.
i can’t tell
if [...]

“Dear John:
Concerning your most recent poem… as always, it’s engaging and technically correct, but you’re beginning to sound a bit one-note to me. How about trying a poem that isn’t about other people’s poetry – or, better yet, a poem that doesn’t even mention poetry?”

hi;
i’m writing to you to let you know i appreciate your [...]

Illustration: Jean-Claude Claeys
she said
“you stink,
i can’t stand
to even look at you.
every time you
lay hands on me
my skin crawls.
eat shit
and die
you bastard.”
as she left the room
she didn’t hear him say
“i hear THAT, darlin’,
i sure hear that.”

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John Yamrus has been a fixture in American poetry for four decades. Since 1970 he has published 2 novels, 15 volumes of poetry and more than 900 poems in magazines around the world. Selections of his poetry have been translated into several languages including Spanish, Swedish, Italian, Japanese and (most recently) Romanian. His newest book, SHOOT THE MOON, is available online from amazon.com

The kind of poetry John Yamrus writes is what most people would tell each other over drinks at three o’clock in the morning if they were conscious enough or literate enough to talk like that. This is not a poetry of metaphor and simile. This is not a poetry of rich literary [...]