I met Alx Johns at the Southern Literary Festival in Dahlonega, Georgia last spring (2015). I was fortunate enough to be the moderator for his poetry workshop. I had never met Dr. Johns, nor had I heard any of his poetry; however, I can say that when he walked in the door and greeted me with his jeans, short sleeves, biker style boots, and tattoos, I knew they had the right guy for me to moderate. I read an introduction of his accomplishments and he went right into his poetry.
Alx comes off as rather shy, introverted, but brilliant. I was immediately taken in by his poetry because of its fresh semantics, its current relevance, and its twists and turns between satire and raw descriptiveness.
Often times at these workshops, poets and writers will read a bit and then lecture a bit. Not so with Alx, when he asked the class if they would like him to stop reading and teach, they all just signaled for more poetry. Everyone in the room was enthralled with his fascinating style of spoken word. I emailed him recently and asked if I could feature a couple of his poems here at Two Drops of Ink and he was gracious to agree. I would encourage the reader to read these allowed as they are intended to be “spoken word” poems. Here are two of my personal favorites from his book Robot Cosmetics:
Toyota Tacoma
I drive one, like so many do
And lately mine`s
Looking more and more
Like the real thing,
Gravel-scratched paint on
That too-familiar frame
Spitting dust through
Some pathetic village
Past retreating figures
Somalia,
Sierra Leone
Afghanistan
Illiterate, skinny boys
In back, behind
That .50 cal.
Shell casings crowding
Around calloused bare feet.
Hell, desperate
Libyans even welded
Anti-aircraft guns and
Multiple-rocket launchers
Into the bed of a jacked-up Prerunner,
mine`s got some straw, stray sticks and shells
From pistachios tossed out
The window, caught then dropping in that
Swirl of wind.
Rwanda, Uganda
Arkansas
Remember that tired footage
Of him, Bin Laden, the devil incarnate
Kneeling before one, firing his Russian rifle
To the muezzin`s sacred approval?
Toyota,
This is how to market yourself to the twenty-first century,
Vehicle of the human will,
The choice of warlords worldwide
The Kalashnikov of pick-up trucks.
(Robot Cosmetics,2015)
Fuck You, Cheerios!
Your dirty, little circles
Staring back milk eyed,
Oooh…
Like you’re not going to eat us.
You need us.
We were there
In your high chair
Taught you tactility,
Had your mom
Saying our name more than yours there,
Didn`t we?
Sent her that free
Cheerios activity book.
Slid down your throat
At that vicious kitchen table
Before you left
To navigate the breastscape
Of the school hall.
Go on, throw us on the floor,
Crush us under your heal
Like you did before
There`s always more;
We`re cheap
And we`re here now with our supply
Of fiber in your bowl
And you’ve got to get to work.
(Robot Cosmetics, 2015)
Pavement Saw Press
321 Empire St
Montpelier, Ohio 43543
Video of Alx Johns reading poetry:
https://web.ung.edu/media/Chautauqua/Poetry-Resistance-Part1-Alex.mp4
Alx Johns is an Associate Professor of English at the University of North Georgia, where he teaches creative writing and American literature. He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and currently resides in the Athens, Georgia area. Alx is the recipient of the 2013 Pavement Saw Press Chapbook Prize for Robot Cosmetics, and his poems have appeared in Stray Dog Almanac, Chaffin Journal, The Oklahoma Review, Red River Review, Kota Press, Scrivener`s Pen, and Bellemeade Books, and were featured in the No Small Measure Georgia Broadsides project. Alx is the managing director of Athens Word of Mouth, a popular monthly reading series bringing together nationally known and local talent.
Oh joy! Words sly with humor – the truth that tickles. Even at 6:30 in the morning, with first light and a slight silver fog for company, I surely am amused!
Alx is one of my absolute favorite poets. He’s also an English professor at University of North Georgia, Watkinsville. So glad you’ve enjoyed the “Poetry Break.”
Welcome, Axl; I’m so pleased that you’ve contributed to Two Drops of Ink. I must confess to poet envy, and after reading both of yours, it’s not lessening.
I value the compressed language of poetry. I enjoyed both of them for different reasons. I hope to see more.