What I Said to Prove I Was Sane

About the Book

As the title of this poetry collection playfully suggests, each poem in WHAT I SAID TO PROVE I WAS SANE represents an attempt by author Michael Yots to explain himself. Many of the poems also evoke a dream atmosphere that suggests that waking life and dream life are equally valid expressions of what we call reality. Most of all, his poems are explorations of the many selves that make up one’s identity and make life such a fascinating journey.

From “In the Clock Shop” to “Teaching My Sons to Dance,” Michael Yots captures both the essence of everyday life and the wisdom of age. He questions himself and what makes him tick in a thoroughly engaging manner that draws you into his world instead of leaving you to linger as a silent observer. WHAT I SAID TO PROVE I WAS SANE is a poetry collection that truly reveals the man and his emotional life.

On the Birth of My First Child

Through plate glass windows,
I reach out to touch you,
wrinkled beauty,
crying unheard,
florescent glare,
the cold of disconnection—
I reach out, impotent,
heart in quarantine,
to give a sign of love
unable to compete with
warmth of mother-milk.

About the Author

MICHAEL YOTS was the cofounder of The Panhandler, a poetry and fiction magazine, and served as its editor from 1979 to 1991. His poems have appeared in such journals as Southwest Review, Tar River Poetry, and New York Quarterly. Born in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he now lives with his wife in Pensacola, Florida.