Rising Star In The Illinois World Of Poetry
Official Poetry Site of Michael Lee Johnson, Poet, Itasca, Illinois
About the Poet: Michael Lee Johnson, Chicago area, is an internationally published poet in 45 countries, several published books, nominated for 7 Pushcart prize awards and 7 Best of the Net nominations in poetry.
MICHAEL LEE JOHNSON lived ten years in Canada during the Vietnam era. Today he is a poet, freelance writer, a song lyricist, photographer who experiments with poetography (blending poetry with photography), and small business owner in, Illinois, who has been published in more than 1370 small press magazines in 46 countries, he edits 11 poetry sites. Michael Lee Johnson has been nominated for 7 Pushcart awards & 7 Best of the Net nominations in poetry. Michael is the author of The Lost American: From Exile to Freedom (136 page book), several chapbooks of poetry, including From Which Place the Morning Rises and Challenge of Night and Day, and Chicago Poems. He also has over 320 poetry videos on YouTube. Michael Lee Johnson is the Editor and Chief of Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze, a 33 review 5 star poetry anthology: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1530456762. Now available 98 plus poets, 326 pages plus, Dandelion In A Vase of Roses, Editor Michael Lee Johnson, and Coeditor Ken Allan Dronsfield, another anthology my members of Facebook group Contemporary Poets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807679459328998/. Order your copy now: https://www.createspace.com/7090612 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1545352089 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1545352089 Editor-in-chief Warriors with Wings: the Best in Contemporary Poetry, http://www.amazon.com/dp/1722130717
Key Websites:
"Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze", is now available on Amazon.com, Amazon Kindle, available in Europe.
Buy now just $13.95/Kindle $2.99. Chief Editor/Publisher/Poet, Michael Lee Johnson, Coeditor Ken Allan Dronsfield.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1530456762 https://www.createspace.com/6126977 *Scroll down see Favorable Customer Reviews
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/promomanusa
https://www.youtube.com/user/poetrymanusa/videos
http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000058168/The-Lost-American.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-American-Exile-Freedom/dp/0595460917
Follow Michael Lee Johnson On:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/poetrymanusa
Facebook Poetry Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/807679459328998/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/poetrymanusa
MySpace.com: http://www.myspace.com/469391029
Purchase Poetry Books by Michael Lee Johnson At:
https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B0055HTMBQ?redirectedFromKindleDbs=true
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/promomanusa
iUniverse-Purchase Book by Michael Lee Johnson Here:
http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000058168/The-Lost-American.aspx
Purchase Poetry Books Amazon.com by Michael Lee Johnson At:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-American-Exile-Freedom/dp/0595460917
Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1530456762
Dandelion in a Vase of Roses available here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1545352089
Warriors with Wings: the Best in Contemporary Poetry, http://www.amazon.com/dp/1722130717
Michael Lee Johnson is publisher, editor of 11 poetry, flash fiction sites, all presently open for submission:
http://promomanusa.wix.com/contemporary-poets2
http://dreamsagoniescontemporarypoets.blogspot.com/
http://promomanusa.wix.com/michael-lee-Johnson
https://www.facebook.com/groups/807679459328998/
http://itascaillinoispoetryman.moonfruit.com/#/home/4547417926
http://electricinthesun.blogspot.com/
http://birdsbywindow.blogspot.com/
http://atendertouch.blogspot.com
http://wizardsofthewind.blogspot.com/
http://poetsinterviews.blogspot.com/
Send Poetry, Flash Fiction Submissions To: promomanusa@gmail.com or writerillinois@yahoo.com.
If You Find No Poem (V3)
By Michael Lee Johnson
If you find
no poem on
your doorstep
in the morning,
no paper, no knock on your door,
your life poorly edited
but no broken dashes
or injured meter-
if you do not wear white
satin dresses late in life
embroidered with violet
flowers on the collar;
nor do you have
burials daily
across main street-
if no one whispers
in your ear, Emily Dickinson-
you feel alone-
but not reclusive-
the sand child
still sleeping in your eyes-
wiping your tears away-
if you find
no poem on
your doorstep-
you know
you are not from New England.
Harvest Time (V8)
A Métis lady, drunk-
hands folded, blanketed as in prayer
over a large brown fruit basket
naked of fruit, no vine, no vineyard
inside-approaches the Edmonton,
Alberta adoption agency.
There are only spirit gods
inside her empty purse.
Inside the basket, an infant,
restrained from life,
with a fruity winesap apple
wedged like a teaspoon
of autumn sun
inside its mouth.
A shallow pool of tears mounting his native baby blue eyes.
Snuffling, the mother offers
a slim smile, turns away.
She slithers voyeuristically
through near slum streets
and alleyways,
looking for drinking buddies
to share a hefty pint
of applejack wine. -2007-
(Revised 2012)
Charley Plays a Tune (V4)
By Michael Lee Johnson
Crippled, in Chicago,
with arthritis
and Alzheimer's,
in a dark rented room,
Charley plays
melancholic melodies
on a dust-filled
harmonica he
found abandoned
on a playground of sand
years ago by a handful of children
playing on monkey bars.
He hears bedlam when he buys fish at the local market
and the skeleton bones of the fish show through.
He lies on his back, riddled with pain,
pine cones fill his pillows and mattress;
praying to Jesus and rubbing his rosary beads
Charley blows tunes out his
celestial instrument
notes float through the open window
touch the nose of summer clouds.
Charley overtakes himself with grief
and is ecstatically alone.
Charley plays a solo tune.
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We also do a full line of advertising specialties i.e. mugs, cups, calendars with your site or company logo on them. Anything that needs to be custom imprinted on an item is what we do. Special rates for publishers and authors.
Advantage Marketing & Promotions: Ph/Fax: 630-467-1330.
