Random Word: Chronic???

Sherry use to enjoy dinner time like Christmas Mornin

And her mother was mean chef
who knew how
to put the soul
in soul food

I mean she really knew how to put her foot in it!
And though she wasn't from Texas
Sherry always believed that being bigger was better

but one day Sherry confused her tv for mirror
compared her reflection to a Seventeen magazine
and convinced herself that being plus sized
was no longer acceptable

Her mind had become susceptible
to anything that could make her feel
But since then, Sherry has fallen
completely out of touch
with herself

So now,
Sherry regurgitates thoughts of dinner time
like a drunk uncle at family reunions

she burps empty stomachs in break rooms
as if trying to gather laughs
during a high school lunch period

Breakfast is trapped somewhere in her imagination
alongside Sherry's new found popularity
but she just walks around
hand and hand with Delusion
as if this all is a dream

But in reality,
She is a walking
chronic eating disorder
Her lungs breathe starvation
Her stomach growls like jungles
of third world countries
Her face is a wall where we use to
hang smiling portraits
Her hair is chipped paint
Her limbs are corroded pipes

Her body is an abandoned home
that every one is afraid to go near
and guys often take bets
to see who is brave enough to sleep in her overnight

Sherry traded in her SOUL food
for diet pills and skipped meals
but beauty never came to her
in the form of capsule...

Random Word: Imagination???

I've always made excuses
for not having ever written a poem about you
but really you were just a muse
that I couldn't get on paper fast enough

You were just that one quote
that probably would have changed the world
if only I had found a chisel
to get you in my stone cold heart
and ensure that you would stick around forever

But I cant say I didn't write your name in pencil on purpose
because even a blind man can see
that danger doesn't always
show its face in plain sight

You made me vulnerable to my own weakness
cuz you knew I wasn't good with handling mail
yet you always expected me
to push then envelope in our relationship

I bet you still wonder how
every time you'd search and try to find me
I'd always magically manage to lose myself

Because my mind ran in circles
trying to think outside the box for you
so maybe you should stay confined
to the radius of my imagination.

Just allow my dreams to breathe...

Mad Dash???

So this week has been probably the busiest week I’ve had all semester. As you can see, I haven’t had time to post a lot so I am going to talk a little bit about my week before we jump into our artist of the week. If you don’t know, (which you probably don’t) I am a Sagittarius and I consider myself to be one of the best examples of a person that truly exemplifies their zodiac sign. One thing that is common for a Sagittarius is that we hate routine, and college is all about routine. So as much as it kills me to get up every morning at the same time, look at the same faces, hear the same voices, and talk to the same people, I know that it is necessary for me to further my success in this world and I usually manage to fight through it. Yet somehow, a few days this week I found myself in a mad dash to get places because I either woke up late or just lost track of time. I was never late to class or to work, but I did encounter a few close calls. Every time I found myself in that situation though, the people around me never knew the difference. Teachers went on with their lectures as usual, the students around me still took their notes, everyone else still continued their regular lives with no knowledge of the stressful events of my day. What I mean by this is that matter what is happening with you, ECU and the rest of the world will continue to move along, the choice is your of whether or not you are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to join the movement… even if it means you overlook the toothbrush one morning, lol. So to show pride in my sign and all of the Centaurs out their reading this blog, this week’s artist is one our own… Jay-Z. Not only does he have the coolest zodiac sign ever, but he is definitely a living legend and he proved that with his recent release, Blueprint 3. The album has been certified platinum and debut at #1 on the Billboard charts making Jay-Z second only to The Beatles for having the most number #1 albums. Good job Hova and congratulations. Go grab the new album if you don’t have it already. It is nothing short of perfection.

Morning Tunes???

One thing I want the world to know about Johnny Alfredo, is that I am a very diverse person in all aspects of life. Whether its clothes, foods, hairstyles, you name it, I am always open minded and willing to try anything once. One thing that I am most proud of is my ear for music. I love just about any type of music that can provide a good tune…except for Country music. I was kinda sorta a Dixie Chicks fan back in the day, but after them, Country Music just kinda lost all hope with me, and I blame CMT. If music was divided into types of sugars, then Country Music would be considered Sweet n Low. It just has an acquired taste that I haven’t quite acquired yet, lol. But nevertheless, I consider myself a musical connoisseur because I listen to different types of musical genres. My iTunes collection at this point currently holds 14,000+ songs and counting, and it would take someone exactly 37.5 days to listen to every song once; this is something I am truly proud of. I love having a diverse collection of music so that I can chill out when I’m studying or writing a paper because the music usually puts me in a comfortable copacetic environment that allows me to be efficient in whatever I am doing. My favorite time to cruise to some tunes is in the mornings on the way to class. The music really wakes me up and sets the tone for the day and mostly just makes those dreaded 8 o’clock lab classes that more pleasant. The latest artist that is getting buzz in my iPod these days is Kid Cudi. He has a nice Alternative/Hip Hop feel to him, but it’s really hard to classify his genre so it’s best to check him out for yourself. He has released the singles “Day n’ Nite” and “Make Her Say” so check him if you enjoy new music as much as I do.

Slam Greenville???

Where the EFF you been?

Hello world...
Yeah yeah I know I am the worlds second worst blogger coming slightly ahead of Perez Hilton, but maaaaan I been busy! But no worries, I plan to give you the long fragment of a sentence play by play of the last two months in 5,4,3,2,1...

So after I recorded that autotune track in my last post, i decided to become a recording artist for all of 2 days; then i decided to try my hand in producing beats but that didnt even survive the half life of my previous endeavor; i decided to purchase "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Poetry Writing" and the book is truely phenomenal; i am currently using the book to help assist some of my fellow writers from Word of Mouth in breaking the mold in their own lives and start writing outside the box; My mother has become tremendously ill and surprisingly it is not affecting me as much as I thought it would; i am doing my best to maintain focus and allowing God to work out her problems; FYI I am back at school now in good ole Greenville, NC; kinda excited to be back and see the extended fam but not too pumped about classic; not even a whole month into the semester and I am already considering dropping out of this place; I swear I am starting to forget why I am bothering with this school thing, but then I think of all the money that wont transpire from my dreams to reality and I hop back on the money train we like to call higher education; I am living off campus this year so the swag meter is up lil bit, yet my car is back at home so i am not feeling as swagnificent as I could be; nevertheless this semester has begun and like i have been saying all summer, i have an awesome feeling about it and I cant wait to see the suprises in store.

I do apologize about the hiatus and to all of my new Followers, Welcome to the Poet behind the Pen, and for you oldheads, thanks for sticking around while I got my life back together. I love you all.

Autotune???

That's right. Johnny Alfredo is indeed the next voice of Autotune. Dont believe me? Go check out my cover of John Legend's "So High" by clicking here or click the picture, and hear first hand what Autotune does to my poetic voice.

Slam???

I do have a new arsenal of poems to slam with, so why not slam. I will be in South Carolina this weekend and there is a slam going on that I do plan to be apart of. I am pumped because its a slam and I am a slam poet, but I am little nervous as well because: 1.) I haven't slammed since Nationals back in March. 2.) This is a whole new set of poems and I haven't even tried them all out in front of a crowd yet. Idk, yet in the midst of this emotional roller coaster, I do still do plan to slam this weekend. Wish me luck.

Fire???

Nuff said. I will have these.

Kickin it Old School???

Wow, I definitely just found a really old poem i wrote back in 2003. Talk about growth in my poetry. Check it out for yourself. It even rhymes.

UNDERSTANDING

I understand your pain

I understand you're mad

I understand if you never

Want to get back what we had

I understand if you say

That you hate me to the core

I understand if you say

You dont love me anymore

I understand that in your heart

You probably want to fight me

I understand if you tell your friends

That you never really liked me

I understand if you tell your friends

I'm the worst guy in the world

I mean you did get dumped

I should expect that from a girl

But now its your turn

Your turn to understand

That I wasnt trying to hurt you

I was just trying to be a man

It's time for you to understand

It's time for you to see

That even though you were hurt

You still brought pain to me

You brought pain to my soul

You brought pain to my heart

You brought pain to my mind

I should've understood from the start

That really I am the one

Who needs to understand

That you're probably the right girl

I'm just not the right man

Venting???

Stop acting like I dont have talent. I dont mean to toot my own horn, but I think it's the only way you can hear me. Stop acting like the stage doesnt need to be extinguished when I step off. Stop acting like your fans dont leave quoting my poetry. Stop acting like you wasnt trying to book me when we first met. Stop acting like people aint wondering if I'm down with your crew. Stop acting like one of my fans aint you. Stop acting like im not good enough to bang with your crowd. Stop acting like I dont tear the roof down. I'm too humble to you tell you im better than you, but too talented to ignore the fact that you refuse to respect my craft. Stop sleeping on Johnny Alfredo.

Back to the Feature???

New Wale Mixtape. Get it if you aint got it! Click the pic for download.

Random Word: Barbaric???

Barbaric

This is the barbaric muse
I have been looking for

Even though I know you don't have the man power
or steady hands to pull off this procedure,
just tear away my writer's block
like your instincts naturally instruct you

Construct two nostrils in my cerebellum
so that I can dream to breathe
Because the lack of oxygen in my brain
is causing my poetry to beco-co-come hypoxic

Pop lock your way back down to my microphone
tap dance on the rainbows in my nightmares
Freddy Cruguer your way back from my page, to the stage

whether its when I write, or on the mic.

Reinvent me, teach me again to inspire
reign down with your fire
and fire
every unnecessary word that I hire

Show me again how to perfect this craft,
because I am tired of wasting your time...

Random Word: Evolution???

Evolution

Imagine walking hand and hand with Charles Darwin
imagine holding the idea of evolution
so close to your heart, you almost start to understand
the primeval thoughts of your ancestors
But then you remember your Unitarian up bringing
These ideals should be blasphemous
but love can make the ugliest words so beautiful
when coming from the mouth of your husband
I wish I could ask Emma how is was to love him...

Random Word: Conundrum???

Conundrum

To which ever Political Science instructor it may concern:

terrorism is just a cliched conundrum
that the government uses to keep us taking aspirin.
just an infinite sized rubiks cube
the world is too lazy to solve.

You call me subversive
because I refuse to believe the lies
Ted Turner forced feeds my generation
But in generations,
You'll be force feeding these lies
back to a mouth that no longer has an appetite

Lets just spread the truth now
so we dont have to search for it later
because im tired of digging through these bodies
looking for a corpse
with the answers to yesterdays problems.

9/11 isnt a myth
But the Al-Qaeda could pose for a good synonym
And now I cant celebrate Mother's birthday
outside the gates of cemetery

Yet i'm expected to keep quite
and just pop a few aspirins to maintain equilibrium
And hope the 4 walls of my house are thick enough
to block the incoming nuclear missiles

Too bad I write poetry though.

Random Word: Epidemic???

Epidemic

People always wondered why
Priscilla and I never dated

I was never man enough to explain
so I always just claimed that Poetry
was the only girl who could understand me

But truth be told,
I just thought Priscilla was too beautiful
And when a girl is that fine
I dont mind slipping myself into the friend zone

She is my Super Woman
Never fatigue from the 5k marathons
She runs through my mind daily

And although I tried to hide it
she could smell the stench
of my infatuation miles away

Her beauty is the sickness
that every girl wants to be infected with,
And some women walk around hating her
because their bodies carry the anti virus

But sometimes,
I wish her beauty wasn't so epidemic
Because then guys would be more inclined
to love her insides, outside the bedroom...

What kinda Poet is You???

I was having a conversation with friend, who is a PR for a poetry group, the other day and he was describing different poets that he wants to book for future shows. He kept saying things like, "...yea he is a real Political Poet" and "...she is more of an Erotica Poet." This sparked the question in my own head of, what kind of poet am I? I wasn't really sure at the time when I initially asked myself and I was afraid to ask my friend because he may have been confused as well. So I took my time and really pondered on it. I do poetry about all topics from love to politics. I have yet to write a funny poem so I cant be a Comedic Poet. Then it hit me, even though all of my poems are about different things, they all take the same approach at describing their subject matter. All of my poems come in the form of a second or third person story. Not too many things happen in my life that I can find inspirational enough to write about so I usually stay away from first person poetry, but I always find myself fascinated with the lives of others. So there it is, if you ever want to describe me as a poet, just say that I am a StoryTeller.

Is this dope or what???

I just really want this shirt, but it is only offered in a 3x. It's hot, only 9 dollars, but too big...the story of my life.

Untitled Poem: This is Not a Love Poem 53

Untitled Poem subtitled
this is not a love poem number 53

There is a man in my chest
where my heart use to be.

He is a natural born patriot
with blue and red veins
running through his frosted white skin.

He has a dark belly full of moths,
and they flutter from the shutter
of my eye lids when I catch light
of the sunshine in your smile.

And like every man,
the one in my chest has responsibilities
far greater than himself

He runs a 24 hour convenient store
selling every emotion under the moon
Like an apothecary turned street hustler

From late night lunar love
to his needed nocturnal canoodling,
he continues to remind me why
the angles envy us so much

You see we are one of God's
most underrated inventions.
And he created the human body special
with certain things in pairs for a reason.

Like lungs, one for breathing and one for wheezing.
and only asthma patients know what I'm talking about
because we are the only humans forced to use both.

Your eyes, one for seeking and one for peeking
Because while we are on the quest for love
its ok for us to be distracted by the crave of lust

But as for the heart, we were only meant to have one.
Because if I had two, then it would be true
that the man in my chest has moths that flutter for you
and another woman at the same time...

but he is the fine line between reality and fantasy
and I don't want you drifting to close to the edge
at this moment of vulnerability

So let me offer you this moment of clarity,
Cuz the sun is another underrated invention
that never receives honorable mention

And that ball of ultraviolet light, is strapped tight
To your happiness, it is trapped in your joy,
bound to the one thing
that still keeps us connected

Yet you are choosing to shed light on a
distant part of our universe
that was meant to stay in darkness forever

So come back to the real world
where you and still I love each other
like tomorrow has to be a miracle

Because even Superman needs the sun
to survive in these times.
And although I may act a little retarded every once in a while
the S on my chest doesn't quite stand for stupid just yet

See your smile is in direct relation
to the sunrise on Love's horizon
and I cant remember the last time my pupils were dilated

But My heart chooses to sell emotion
because he doesn't require sunlight like I do.
And he doesn't mind trading my hugs for hypocritical hopelessness
and my kisses for your cursed insults

So remind the man in my chest there
is something brighter than moonlight
blast him with L-UV rays
and bring the moths in his belly back to life again

Just give the them one more chance to flap their wings
Cuz the hate from your tongue is the only reason
that they are eclipsed to darkness

This is my heart but I want you
to love him like he was yours.
and prove to me that you remember
how to make the sun kiss the horizon

ask me to draw a flower
and I will paint you a garden

Just turn up the corners of your mouth
bring his belly back to life
and dont you ever stop smiling again...


(c)2009 Johnny Alfredo

Who is Wale???

So if you haven't heard of him by now, Wale is an up and coming lyricist with mad skills on the microphone. He is probably most famous for his single Nike Boots featuring Lil' Wayne and his feature on the Roots single Rising Up. All hip hop heads should enjoy this mixtape. Click the picture to download.

New Look???

Yessir! I thought the blog looked a little too generic so I decided to dress it up a bit and give it my own lil feng shui if you will. I hope you all like it.

New Arsenal???

Consistency Consistency Consistency! I'm working on it.

So last week I mentioned a new poem, which is just about done, but I failed to inform you that it wasn't my only project. That's right, I am actually working on TWO(2) new poems for my up and coming show. That's right, on June 20th Johnny Alfredo will be featured in a poetry showcase, alongside fellow poet Brandon Dawson aka Future, called HiStory. The show Dawson and myself will be opening up for the headlining poet Life and will tell us HiStory. So yes I am definitely excited about that gig. I also realized that although I have been feeling like I haven't been writing as much as I should, I actually have completed quite a few poems over the past couple months. I guess since every time I get on the mic I end up spitting classics, I just overlooked all the new joints. Nevertheless, my new poems will be getting exposure on the 20th and right now I am actually on a head hunt for any and every local poetry slam. With the up and coming birth of my latest projects plus the unreleased pieces I have, I just may have a new arsenal for the slam scene...

Excerpt from another new piece:
"...There is a man in my chest where my heart use to be.
He is a natural born patriot
with blue and red veins
running through his white skin.
He has a dark belly full of moths,
and they flutter from the shutter
of my eye lids when I catch light
of the sunshine in your smile..."

Equilibrium???

Wins and losses do not exist without each other. Separate, they are just lucrative ideals the blind eyes of society force us to see and they evoke evil emotion and unhealthy competitiveness in the world, causing things like war. The universe was made in equilibrium, so in reality, no one can lose without winning and no one can win without losing. Every loss is a gain and vice-versa. Therefore after competition, no one should be happy and no one should be sad; everyone should just be satisfied. Emotions are what will destroy us, yet they are also what make us what we are. So if human emotions were to reach a state of equilibrium, would that really be paradise?

Google me baby???

Well today was an awesome day. I found out that I can be googled. That's right, if you go to Google and type in Johnny Alfredo then you will find the first few links belonging to me. I even took a screen shot to provide proof (above). I had a show tonight and I definitely made it a point to share that with the crowd right before I did my set. It has always been one my secret little nerdy dreams to be able to Google myself. The first few links to pop up include my Twitter page, my Facebook page, this blog you are reading, and my Youtube page. Even if you type in my old pen name, JPthePoet, on Google, I still take up the first few results(below). If you choose to use that instead, one of the results actually includes my Last.fm page. Well since it's like 3:25 in the morning I think I will head to bed now. I just couldn't rest without getting this Google business off my chest.

New Joint???

So this is just a segment of my new piece. It's not much to work with so just consider it a teaser...

"Year six
The first time that the mic kissed
these lips
not quite french, but my English
was coming along rather smoothly.
My mother told me my voice was beautiful
and that i could sing the lyrics of angels.
but i said no, i'd rather do poetry
and speak the lauguage of God..."

Who else lives here???

For those of you who do not know, I am a student at the wonderful East Carolina University located in good ole Greenville, NC. It's not as big as my hometown Charlotte, NC, but it is big enough to make you feel like you're not on a deserted island. I am now going into my Junior year and for the past 2 years that I have been in this city, I have definitely made it my business to find the poets and become apart the small poetry movement they have here. It's definitely nothing compared to SlamCharlotte and The Concrete Generation, but it certainly serves as a great environment for poets to grow and be inspired. I have done countless sets and appearances at many shows and I am starting to realize that I am running into the same crowds, and therein lies my dilemma. Like most poets, I use my poetry as an outlet for not only myself, but for others as well. I am notorious for telling someone else's story, while at the same time, I still maintain the artistic part of writing poetry. My poetry is usually heavy in metaphor and puns to dress up the language and make the poem entertaining for the readers and listeners. Yet this same crowd that I keep performing in front of is starting to show me that they don't really enjoy my style of poetry as much as others. I was watching the crowds reaction to other poets and it seems that these people enjoy poetry that is more direct and just says everything in plain English. In my opinion, that's not real poetry, it is prose. The thing that makes poetry so much different (and better) than prose is the fact that the language can be playful. You can say things indirectly while still packing meaning. These people would much rather me say something like, "I hate vegetables," as oppose to me saying, "I look at vegetables like a claustrophobic Santa Clause looks at chimneys." So I believe the solution is that I need to reach out to a new demographic... but how? It's not like when these shows are promoted, the PR only ask for middle aged African American couples to show up, that's just who comes. Hopefully I will figure it out soon...

Im Back???

I have to learn to be more consistent with this thing, but in my defense, the internet I have had to deal with for this past week wasn't worth more than the American dollar during a recession. So much has happened since my last post; my phone was cut off for lack of payment, I was forced to move out of my dorm room because they were closing for the summer, I was in a car wreck that totaled my car, I was homeless...for about 2 hours, I achieved some kind of throat disease that has had throat aching for the past 8 days(going to the doctor tomorrow), I moved back into my dorm room for summer school, I achieved the status of MIA amongst all my friends because of lack of cell phone activity, lost my one and only pair of black dress shoes, and I filmed a short movie for the incoming freshman at East Carolina University. *WHEW*

I also got a chance to get on the stage and spit at a showcase this past weekend. It gave me a chance to clear out the cobwebs on my microphone because it has definitely been that long, or at least it felt like it. It was nice to feel wanted as a poet and as a writer. Definitely haven't had that feeling since nationals back in February (placed 7th in the nation). There was definitely a warm yet familiar feel from the crowd as well. They knew all of my old work and wanted to hear nothing but the classics and I loved every bit of it. That just goes to show that no matter how much you may deny it, loneliness exist in all of us. We are all lonely, but we are not alone. Everyone has that stage that makes them feel welcome, that stage that feels like home.

Writer's Block???

I have never wanted to write something so bad like this before. If writing poetry was sex, then I would be as horny as a ten year convict, 15 minutes away from parole. You cant even grasp how bad I wanna write something right now. The only problem is that I have the attention span of an 8 year old A.D.D. kid who has gone 3 weeks without his meds. GEEEEZ! It's like every distraction is surrounding me right now, from the TV to Facebook. I'm even waisting time on this thing when I should be writing. And on top of this annoying writers block, lets not forget that I should also be studying for finals right now. Yep, it's that time of year again when I have to prove myself for one last time and show these teachers that I don't have to go to class everyday in order to obtain a decent education. Welp, I better get off and do that...

Still not there...

Hello World,

I know it has been a while since I have written in this place and it is all because of FINALS!

But while you have my attention, I just want to share with you one of my favorite poems. It is by Carlos Williams and I actually had the pleasure of competing against Carlos at CUPSI National Slam back in February. I hope you enjoy...

Where do we go from here???

So I am still trying to figure out what I want to do with this blog. I was thinking of taking the Rev Run approach and just give some helpful advice based on the daily story of my life, and I still may consider that route, or, I could just speak from the mind of the world and just talk about small issues that are going on all around us while giving my own unbiased, yet sometimes biased, opinionated statements like SxePhil. Either way, I want to do something that attracts readers because this whole "daily rant" idea of most blogs is starting to lose its purpose to me and I am only 3 post in! I already know how boring it is to listen to a story of someones life, so I can imagine that it's a lot worse to have to read it. Speaking of readers...I haven't told many people about the blog yet, but I did tell one lady in particular. I am actually anticipating her checking out this post so before I continue with the story, I just want to take the time to say she is probably one of the sexiest girls I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She always keeps the swag on deck and on top of that, she is a brown skin beauty. You already know how rare it is to find a sexy dark skinned girl. But to really top it off, she is a Libra...but that's another blog. So yeah I have only let a few people know about the blog, but as a poet, I hate getting on stage and feeling like I have nothing to say. I have the same feelings about this blog. I don't want to really share it until I have something really profound to share, so until then people...

Womanizer???

So the other day, I was on facebook and I noticed that someone, a female to be exact, dropped a few lines in my honesty box. I was expecting the usual post like, "I love your poetry" or," I think you are awesome," but to my surprise, it stated, and I quote, " Are you a WOMANIZER???" I didn't know whether to punch a hole in LCD or laugh until my insides melted into pudding. Womanizer? I initially thought it was a joke so I replied to the post with an "lol", but she just replied right back only to let me know that her question was as serious as the AIDS epidemic. Do I really come off as a Womanizer? I mean I know I flirt with anything that can hold a conversation but idk 'Womanizer' is the term that applies here.

Lets look at the definition of Womanizer:

The word Womanizer is a noun that comes from the verb Womanize which, according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, means to pursue casual sexual relationships with multiple women.

Anyone that actually knows who I am would know that Womanizing is completely out of my character. I am just going to assume that this mystery girl is a stranger that just bumped into my profile, but if I find out who she is, I will definitely make a point to laugh at her like a hyena that overdosed on 5 Hour Energy Shots.

[dot]BLOGSPOT[dot]COM...

Sooooooo, I definitely haven't had a blog since I was a freshman in high school when it was cool to use Xanga. For all of you new generation kids, Xanga was popular in the pre-Myspace era. So if you didn't have web access back then...well you get the picture. So yeah, I plan to use this as much as my busy schedule will allow me. I won't hold anything back in this bad boy, so everything that doesn't come out in my poetry will definitely be posted here. Also, all updates as far as my poetry, any shows or gigs I do, ANY and ALL happenings with Word of Mouth will be posted here, and everything else that goes through my head on a regular basis. I hope the world is ready...