in your life

if you
get to be
your absolute
most crystal
perfect
best,

even once,

you
have

won.

..................................................................................................................................

sooner or later

it catches
up with you.

no matter how well
you run the race,
it catches up with you
and you're left
standing alone,
blindfolded,
with your back
up against the wall
as the guy
at the other end of the yard
starts counting down...

"Ready..."

the only thing that matters
as he continues
to count...

"Aim..."

the only thing in the world
that's left to you
is to hold your head
up high
and meet the

"Fire!"

.....................................................................................................................

Dignity

Johnny Cash
has it.

Rosa Parks
and Bob Gibson
have it.

Henry Fonda
and the legless guy
who sold pencils
on public square
in Wilkes-Barre
had it.

it's in Carson McCuller's eyes
and Steinbeck's prose.

it's in the mad footsteps of the damned
and the music you hear outside your window
at 4 in the morning.

it's in the way Johnny Unitas stood,
stoop-shouldered and calm,
like God folding napkins for the breakfast of
eternity.

my uncle Dutch had it...

it's not a condition of wealth,
nor position in the world.

you
either have it
or you don't.

and that pitiful,
dull, smug
outrage of a kid
in the hundred dollar shades
and the BMW
who cut me off on the highway today
never will.

(from ONE STEP AT A TIME, © 2005, John Yamrus)

............................................................................................

i always figured i’d end up

being
the crazy one.

on the street,
walking around
waving my arms at passing cars,
with hair down to my shoulders,
wearing high top sneakers
and carrying 3 ballpoint pens
and one finely sharpened pencil
in the pocket of my shirt.

i always figured that
was going to be me.

but today
i saw him.

the man i wanted
to be.

he had the hair and the shirt
and the pencil and the pens
and he even had on
a pair of wild plaid pants
and a black and white
striped shirt.

he’s The Man…

he’s a God…

he’s a miracle in a pony tail
and 8 dollar shoes.

and here i am,
powerless,
barely able
to describe him
as he
picks his nose
and walks
away.



© John Yamrus. His new book, One Step at a Time is available thru Barnes and Noble and online direct from the publisher at publishamerica.com. Also, signed copies are available from: http://www.waterrowbooks.com. You can visit John's website at http://johnyamrus.tripod.com/