Poet Hauls Typewriter To Create On-Demand Poetry In St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The first time poet Giovanni Cerro, 34, saw his grandfather cry was when the family patriarch read a poem Cerro wrote for his grandfather's birthday.

Cerro was 9 years old at the time. "I never saw him cry, but when I read him that poem, he cried," Cerro said in a Patch interview. "That really made an imprint on me. I was like, 'This feels good.'"

His poem expressed appreciation to his grandfather for the positive involvement in his life such as taking him to the movies to see "Lethal Weapon."

Cerro, who is an on-demand poet in St. Petersburg, had an on-and-off again relationship with poetry from the time he was nine to adulthood.

"I was very chubby as a child, and my parents were going through a divorce," Cerro said. "I found that I liked writing poetry to girls I liked, making mixed-tapes and getting rejected. Then in middle school, I gravitated toward sports. I became involved in wrestling, football and stopped writing. Until I got out of high school, I got back into it. I started having drinking problems when I was 19 and 20, and writing helped me release a lot of that anxiety."

After 10 years of heavy drinking and writing, Cerro decided to take power over his alcohol cravings when a friend of his overdosed. He also wanted to quit for his girlfriend at the time, now his wife.

"As cliché as it is, I chose love over drinking. I wanted my wife more," he said. It was a three-year journey for Cerro to gain control over the drinking. He continued to write during the journey, and four years ago, he dove deeper into impromptu poetry after he saw a woman in New Orleans sitting at a typewriter quickly writing poems for people who approached her with a subject. Cerro was mesmerized watching her, and said, "Hey, I want to try that."

Cerro's method of writing on-demand poetry for a person who requests it at an event he is working is similar to being a psychic. A Patch reporter observed him working behind a small table that stationed his typewriter at Localtopia 2021 in downtown St. Pete. Couples walked up to him and gave him a subject, and he immediately wrote a poem based on what showed up for him as he channeled the energy surrounding this subject for the couple.

"Intermezzo was the first place that let me do it," Cerro said."I wrote a poem about a grandchild on the way for soon-to-be grandparents, and it made them cry. They gave me $50, and it was a great experience. That was the gas I needed in my tank."

People give him a variety of subjects, which has to be something meaningful to that person, such as love, a relationship, heartbroken, love for their dog and even more vulnerable emotions or struggles.

He can be hired for corporate events, graduations, weddings, backyard BBQs, basically anywhere on the spot musings "One of my clients is Smith & Associates, so when they have open houses, I'll say, 'Tell me about yourself,' and I'll write them poems, which has more of an impact than a business just handing out fliers," he said.

If you would like to experience on-demand poetry, its costs $33 to buy a poem personally online, and for events, it's customizable. Event prices range from $3,500 to $5,00o.

Instagram is the best way to contact Cerro, who goes by Gio. He also has a poetry book, "Gios Typos: Street Poetry," available on Amazon.