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.