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.

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.

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

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..."