Friday, January 21, 2011

When Johnny comes marching home


Where have you been Johnny Weir Johnny Weir
when you hid in furs and sequins?
Where have you been Johnny Weir Johnny Weir
when you hid in tucks and sit spins?

Where have you been Johnny Weir Johnny Weir
when you showed us your fabulous closet?
Where have you been Johnny Weir Johnny Weir
when "He's gay" was the common sense posit?

When Johnny comes skating home skating home
he writes down how he did it his way.
When Johnny comes marching home marching home
he kicks up his heels and says "I'm gay."

Welcome home Johnny Weir Johnny Weir,
what comes next for you is unclear.
Welcome home Johnny Weir Johnny Weir,
don't be a coquettish stranger.




*     *     *     *

· en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Weir
· Be Good Johnny Weir, Sundance Channel
   sundancechannel.com/johnny-weir
· towleroad.com/2010/03/johnny-weir-deemed-too-gay-for-stars-on-ice-tour-invitation.html
· Johnny Weir interview, The Howard Stern Show
   youtube.com/watch?v=68ghq9iynxM
· Welcome To My World, by Johnny Weir
   search.barnesandnoble.com/Welcome-to-My-World/Johnny-Weir/e/9781451611373

  placed in Poets United Poetry Pantry #26


9 comments:

  1. MaryJanuary 22, 2011 at 8:05 AM

    I am not familiar with the speciics of the Johnny Weir situation, but hopefully from this point on gay military will be able to be open and serve their country without having to hide!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Philip ThriftJanuary 22, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    Johnny Weir has been something of ice-Liberace in the eyes of many: hiding behind cryptic comments about his personal life while being the most flamboyant entertainer on ice - until now, with the book and interviews this month, he talks about *everything*.

    This from Wikipedia sums it up: Weir's sexual orientation was long the subject of media speculation; however, when asked about his sexuality, Weir often responded along the lines of, "...it's not part of my sport and it's private. I can sleep with whomever I choose and it doesn't affect what I'm doing on the ice." In his memoir Welcome to My World, published January 2011, Weir officially came out as gay, citing the recent string of gay youth suicides as one reason for his decision: "With people killing themselves and being scared into the closet, I hope that even just one person can gain strength from my story."

    ReplyDelete
  3. flaubertJanuary 23, 2011 at 4:15 PM

    I am not familiar with Johnny Weir, but thanks for the explanation. I certainly enjoyed this poem and I love the line:
    "don't be a coquettish stranger."
    Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJanuary 23, 2011 at 4:42 PM

    Such a tribute! Nice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    Nice tribute.

    ReplyDelete
  6. signed...bkmJanuary 23, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    Great for Johnny Weir...for coming our and saving lives...thank you...bkm

    ReplyDelete
  7. Paul Andrew RussellJanuary 23, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Nice poem, Philip. I must say I had to use one of the links you posted to find out who Johnny Weir was.

    I remember when John Curry was at the top of his game back in the seventies and the press outed him. He still won! Unfortunately he died in the nineties. He was a great skater who brought a lot of theatre to the rink.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sherry Blue SkyJanuary 23, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    Thanks for the footnote for those of us not up to date on the media reports. Well written poem. I, too, liked the phrase "coquettish stranger". Am very glad he will no longer have to hide.

    ReplyDelete
  9. LisaJanuary 25, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    Thank god for people like johnny!

    :D

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)