Assaying The Prosaic, The Passionate And The Profound With Jerry T. Johnson

After an initial writing foray in the early '90s culminated with the publication of his first poem, tonight's featured speaker at Curley's, Danbury-based Jerry T. Johnson, pursued 21 years of corporate work abroad and picked up where he left off four years ago.

A PA and Stamford Barnes & Noble Open Mic regular, Jerry has since placed pieces in several print and online literary journals, most recently “Some Big Dogs of the Street”, which ran in Volume II of Mad Gleam Press' POST mortem anthology series; other credits include Catalyst and Burningword Literary Journal. Good Morning New Year!, Jerry's first chaobook, appeared in 2015 as an e-book and is now available in paperback.

Complementing a range of topics spanning wistful musings on the everyday and the intractably universal, be it eating a meal at at an airport, or the paradox binding organized power to the powerless, whose passivity enables the former's overreach (scroll down to read “We Still Live In a Land Of Monstrous Giants”) is Jerry's resourceful dedication to improving his on-stage presence.

The "Videos--Features and Open Mics” subheading of his colorfully-illustrated blog offers off-the-cuff recordings from his kitchen where Jerry refines his presentation style by performing before counter top displays of meat and produce.

As Jerry's unhurried, soulful delivery of “She Said Kiss Me Like You Kiss Her” at Three of Cups Lounge from 2015 demonstrates, the effort speaks for itself:

This contribution to the Lounge's Rimes Of the Ancient Mariner program, his participation in Mike Geffner's acclaimed The Inspired Word open-mic series and other venues, has made Jerry a growing fixture in the regional poetry scene.

We Still Live in a Land of Monstrous Giants

we still live in a land
of monstrous giants
we still live in a land
of grand dragons
we still live in a land
of poisonous vipers
we still live in a land
of terrible monstrosities

we still quake
at the thought of them
we still shake
in their presence
we still flee
at the sight of them
and when they roar
we still scream

no one stands still
turns to face
the giants
no one confronts
the dragons
no one tangles with
the vipers
anymore

everyone
wants to run
everyone
wants to hide
everyone
wants comfort

everyone
wants complacency

who is still willing to overthrow
the giants?
who is still willing to slay
the dragons?
who is still willing to crush
the vipers?
who is still willing to rid the land
of its terrible monstrosities?

Read his latest work and observations and learn about upcoming readings in the Manhattan and Connecticut areas at his Facebook page.