Inmate Poetry

Songs of Fire

I rise from the ashes to my knees,
From my knees to my feet,
Then I spread my arms out wide
As they metamorphose into wings,
My attention is fueled by the desire
To transcend myself higher and higher
As my vices are consumed by the fire;
The fire of which is my attire
At the peak of my climb I become refined
With a renewal of the spirit and mind
But...

“Faded Memories”

The love in my heart
overwhelms my mind,
to the point my visions
blurry so I can’t see the line.
One that separates
Friend from foe
& lets me know,
When to hold on
or when to let go.
I see
faded memories of love
w/o boundaries.
The love I once knew
is ignorant to you,
real as penitentiary steel
w/ a zeal that’s...

In Flux (Of leverage and levity)

To hate the soundless sounds,
Like sunburnt backs.
Jumping here and there to escape
The passive psychic sores;
That these micro-grains
Polluting my veins
In vain, have
Surrendered to a Slavic weeper’s woe
Pleading:
1,2,3,4,5,6 – flip a card.

Inebriated by the toxic sounds –
The grinding; the gnashing; the pound(ing) of
The fear...

The Song Bird Parable

Look inside of my cage
And you will find shade, only in reliance…
For I am a caged song bird
Whose face drowns in torrents, but yet I sing!
Perched on my swing,
I flap and flutter in temperance
My bandaged wings, hurt!
From the fowler’s sling, the foulest thing…
But, but…My crown is king and kingdom
Sky, like, you can...

“Freedom”

When the skies are blue
The flowers will grow
The Earth turns and with it
You are my life to show
Forever free, you’re my heart to be sewn
From the raging waters, to the calming seas
I can stand by your side and forever be
Always a friend, always a king
By your side, to set you free
All you have to do – is say
“In Jesus...

Her Imaginary Friend….

A little girl named Emily and her imaginary friend,
hand and hand they walk to the bus stop,
Laughing and playing like they always do….

Emily said catch me if you can
and ran away so quickly looked like she flew..
You couldn’t even see her shoes
her feet were moving so fast….

But you could see her little pink...

LOOKING BACK

If I had another chance I’d tell you
that the things “we” had were right and
I threw it all away.

Time cannot erase the love and memories
we shared, but it does give me time to reflect
and realize just how much you loved me.

Now that it’s over and your gone for good,
I’m really not the same anymore.  I guess I
only have...

 COMMON COURTESY

As human beings, we have certain obligations:
To be kind to one another,
To be kind to our environment,
To be kind to ourselves.
Many see this as futile
Unless tied to some religious element.
Isn't the simple fact that it's in our collective best interest to do so, enough?
If someone you know is on a bad path;
Instead of bringing them down,
Bring them up....

Reaching For The Portal

I stand at the barred door,
With its air of vainglory for keeping me imprisoned,
Staring out the windows to the outside world,
Whose glass is like a transparent portal through
Which the other side is another dimension.
Their sun shines through, promising a world of light;
Beckoning me with its contrasting warmth
Compared to this place where I’m...

Benevolence and faith it takes

   For friendship forged anew,

The mysteries of destiny

   Then come gradually into view,

When the universe has crossed our paths

   And our stars have been aligned,

We’ll find if all has been in vain

   Or is righteous and divine,

For time reveals the truth or things

   And the contents of...

“A Young Marine”

I was a kid sent to war.
Distorted by what they reported.
Death lurked beneath the sand.
Behind a scope.
And even in those we we’re there to give hope.
We made it home or so it seemed.
But death was here to redeem.
Now my friends lay on a table,
With only whiskey to keep me stable.
Pushed my family away and gave into the sway
...

The wind whistles wonderful melodies

Melodious and dulcet

Who knew that the air up there

Could sound so beautifully

I gaze at the beautiful night sky

And espy

A beautiful bright star that’s

One in a million

In the firmament full of stars

With diverse dispositions, appearance, and brilliance

That brilliantly appear right before my eyes

And I knew that...

The Inquest (Scattered Moments)

Amid the daily atmosphere of obstreperous condemned men-children and the recurring high pitched ringings of large deadbolt keys heavily colliding (swaying to-and-fro affixed to the belt lines of prison guards hurriedly slamming heavy steel doors while making security-check-rounds in passing)----scattered moments of abrupt silence allow my ears to clearly see the liquid confessions of my heart...