Recording a Lifetime in Verse -- Poet compiles prose on life, love, war and travel in new book


STARKVILLE, Miss., Sept. 4, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- James Monroe Johnson has written poems since childhood. In his new compilation of poetic works, Just To Spend A Little Time With You: A Lifetime of Writing Poetry (now available through 1stBooks), Johnson tells of the experiences in his life, including love, war and world travels.

Johnson estimates he has written more than 1,000 poems in his lifetime. Starting with humble beginnings in Mississippi, his poems capture his experiences in Australia, Bangkok, Thailand, the Florida Everglades, the Tennessee mountains, London, Germany, Mobile, Ala., and Los Angeles. Johnson also writes extensively about his tours of duty as a soldier in Vietnam. He speaks of love, from the magic and bliss of new passion to the ache of a bitter ending.

In publishing his work, he hopes to open readers' eyes to those things he's seen, felt and dreamed throughout his life. The poem, "About Me," illustrates his vivid style:

"I am me/A black, a man/I was a black before I was a man/I am tall, light and tan/not slim or heavy/but moderate to medium/I am educated slightly, common sensical/artistic and poetic, instinctively...I have many thoughts,/few ideas envious of nobody,/jealous of no one/follower of few/leader of none/I identify with everybody/but I am me, a realist and a dreamer/and now/you think you know me!"

Johnson is the youngest of 12 children. After growing up in a small, rural town in Mississippi, he attended college and joined the U.S. Army. He fought in Vietnam and, later, enrolled in the University of Miami. Selected pieces of his writing have been set to music and performed by musicians, church choirs and gospel groups. He currently resides in Starkville, Miss.

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