Justice Arts Coalition is proud to feature a wide collection of writings and poems from the incredible artists in our network. Use the search bar below to look for keywords or phrases within artists’ works and statements.
All writings and poems:
An excerpt from my novel “Neutral: The Journey Manifest” “Not that it really matters, but I find myself very, very, very disturbed by many of the things I have witnessed during this time. I hope and pray that this will be the last time that I will ever be incarcerated. I have grown to suspect … Continue reading “Neutral: The Journery Manifest” – Bednago Harper “Finally,” The King Speaks. Watching the pen’s ink. Penetrate thoughts leaked. Into the paper, dream. His kingdom awakes. His reign was no mistake. The Elite shall compensate The wisdom from the great. Knowledge that can’t be bought. No money or form of precious rocks The King that couldn’t be stopped. By words or weapons or … Continue reading (Finally) (King David Speaks) – Mr. David N. Hazlitt aka Crazy Color There comes a time (always the same, mind you), once a week, when I go to meet the creative creatures; to draw them out of the mist and onto the page disguised as words and lines. Oh, I am such a fool. To think I have the power to control these ever elusive fey, these … Charismatic lady reveals blissful delight. Arouses curiosity; unmasking needs appearing true Expressing urgency, in wanting you. Her quixotic features; flows cascades of passion. Mon Cherie, winesome fondness mingles tantalizing fashion. Wanton harmony burns body–soul liquefy as one. Soaring into flight galaxies exploding! Intense congenial delight. Our impulse testifies; mystical appeal, for receptive merit. Love’s artistic … I shake my head in disappointment as the sound of a gunshot screams in the night Because I know that with that sound comes the end of another human life. Kids killing kids over something so simple as losing a fair fight or A son killing his father for hitting his mother one too many … Life is rewarding when benevolence is for another. Expressing JESUS, optimism, no contradiction, no contrast towards color. Deep inside we’re all the same, not as blood relative. LOVE links us, understand a narrative. LOVE is warmth, LOVE inspires to forgive. No confusion, no turmoil. LOVE gives purpose to live. I’m no threat, my personal inventory … A gathering among some placed in different categories. They have all led different lives and these are their stories. I’ve been on the road all day and hardly took a break, Been running a triathlon that I’m hoping to take. I know I smell funny even with … What is this pain shared Like the blood in our veins? It runs as deep, A price too steep; Oh, why such heavy chains? And Why His absence When He is needed most? We beat our chests And shout protests Toward this “holy” ghost. Are these what you ask, Hurting brother of mine? Are these … The place resembles the wild hills, dense with the grey columnar bodies of pines, that I used to roam with my best friend behind his home. My steps provoke a subtle crunch from the ground that is blanketed with long copper needles and bulbous cones that permeate … Black, White, Hispanic, race don’t matter. None are exempt. Neither are the countless and rising numbers of innocent misfortune people who have fallen tragic victims in their wake. The new breed of Grim Reapers are no longer at the city gates…they are in the city! If life was fair, this world wouldn’t be such a … Jump from soaring heights, I fly, I take wing In mind, to revel, flying toward the sun In rapturous joy, my heart it will sing and I’ll never mind the wrongs I have done I can feel it, like an illicit fling the final prize it comes, and I have won In seconds blood seeps … All my life I’ve been a drug addict, at least since I was 13 years old. What caused me to come down this life road? IDOC # 101969 Inmate Daniel, I was supposed to be somebody special. Not some loser. What makes me a loser? Societies views, and harsh opinions do… In the eyes of … Justice!,Justice!,What Justice?, or do you mean just us? Words like equality and liberty,doesn’t apply to negroes like me, I’m just an African trapped in the belly of the beast Ask Jim Crow, I bet he knows, They best way to break a negro,is by locking ’em up,and taking his soul Lock ’em,throw away the key, … As it be in the morning pitch black dark. Walking to breakfast at Allendale I hear a bark I look with a stare through the fog It’s an prisoner walking a dog. The dog’s color is brown and black With a streak of white down his back. Some of the colors will begin to blend … loneliness my cloke i wear. solitude my only compasion, this lonely path i walk, forever condemned to wander, oh how i search for even a morsal, a crumb of Decency, a whisper in this cacophony of silence, have mercy this sentence is too much to bare, release me, from this sentence of dispair. Ever since I was a child, You’ve been right by my side You supported me! You Loved me! You ignored all the lies! I don’t know how far I would’ve made it with out you My strength and power, I attributed from you For without you, I am weak, Like a tree with no roots … It was second grade and you, Mrs. Roberts maker of minds mender of knees were beautiful to me in ways I didn’t yet understand. In some ways I still don’t and that, too is beautiful. The purple iris grew around our cistern, by the sleepy mimosa and the grape arbor. Between the rusty sheds and … Continue reading An Iris and Mrs. Roberts – Claude Kelley Kirk My best friend’s son is half black. My baby cousin is half black. 2 of my nieces are half black. Do I need to worry that one day when they go out, they might not make it back? Everyday I live in fear because these are not disguisable facts. They may not be my children, … I’m kept here where I’m kept. To dream of lost things, little trinkets of you In this bleak of distance, empty wilds of the soul where you still live, and move through me, like you moved through rooms where love was once sown in little pots on the sill and grew, under many-fingered oak leaves … I was just a boy, back then and my memory is ― well, it’s mortal. And that, is okay. The soul is sound and some remembrance settles in, and sustains the soul. The winter skies above slate, still I was alone and that, was okay. Some things were better when the ‘others’ weren’t around. This, … Everyday you clock in you’re making a sacrifice. To work on the frontlines, risking your own lives. Mentally and physically ready to lose your mind. Although you wear a smile we see the tears you hide. Every segment of the news someone breaks down crying. Because we see what you do to keep us alive. … Myself and others petition: powerful affluent Men around the world initiate deceitful and unjust policies with no regret. Their goals in life are only to retain wealth, cartels, control, and lavish prosperity. While the poverty-stricken cry out! What about us? We too are capable to better ourselves. But no matter how passionately … My life led to a trail and the trail led to a ship then the ship went asail and my life became a trip. The trip led to a port and the port led to a house, a house of just the sort full of secrets born of doubts. So my life became a secret … The mountain is steep & has ice sickle’s on the edges but the main goal is to excel to the top. And sometimes the journey may appear endless & incapable of climbing but we must continue to climb even if we may slip, fall, or mysteriously drop. This is the mountain of life & we … 12/3/19 I’m sure everyone has someone who is deemed “out of sight, out of mind.” You’ll never know how it doesn’t rehabilitate, it slowly kills your spirit. Why? Because we prisoners are deemed criminals and need to be broken. If you’re struggling for employment, work for a federal prison. It’s a booming business model. But … “I wish to submit a piece of art that heavily focuses on solidarity and community; specifically the shared humanity and experience of women in the carceral system. I do a lot of thinking, writing, and visual art which focuses on the oppession and injustice of my experience, but this piece attempts to shed light on … Behind these concrete walls there is so much hidden pain, This is the place where boys turn into men and this place isn’t a game You got young brothers walking around with life that is only nineteen, The system done took him away from his family and shattered all of his drea You got men … Chapter 1 The only way to describe her was nothing less than gorgeous,elegant,and sophisticated.The way she carried herself spoke of her well preserved behavior, and how she walked with a strut and a natural rotation in her hips that left men bobbing after her in front of their wives as if she were a pendulum … Destiny With God As Our Refuge We Both Shall Prosper And Succeed, Baby Know This, I’m All The Man You Will Ever Need. A Beautiful World I’m Trying Too Find Whisper Softly Into My Ear. Desire You Want Fulfilled. I’ll Cling To Your Side, Skin On Skin. I’ll Soothe You; Soften You, Then Smoothly Creep … a bright, fall day marshmallow clouds float overhead sitting beneath the white post the one at the end of the front yard my siblings and i with a great orange pumpkin picture time. sharing the bed with my best friend big brother a bottle of chocolate milk while josh talks himself to sleep all is … Does anybody care? or am I own my own to deal with my despair, They say we are the scums of the earth, And should have been killed at the time of Birth; Who cares that we are being subjected to torture, Deprived of sleep, stomped, beat and starved of food to eat; They scream … the snow is soft; each flake gently falling and changing direction until it finds its designated place i watch as, with each passing moment, the earth dons her wintry white gown. her song is silent, her dance is slow. and then there is me falling in rhythm; falling in love. Impressive is the rainforest; rich, colorful, and bright; As I walk through it, I feel I might just take flight. All of the sights and sounds; full of majesty, charm, and grace; I’m lost and wandering, but with an eager and meaningful pace. Trees so great, intimidating in their power; Surrounding me on all sides, … This Evening: Stars gleaming all so bright; Like fireworks Display fascination upon an 4th of July night. The crisp Cool air archs blades of grass to veer too the right. Ian reclined: Relaxed like a field of cotton, Engaged With melodies of jazz. My conscious is alert, focused, Expecting the Wee hours of morning to … Deficits encourage un-human kindness Deception haunts and stalks our faith Demigods alter the future, poison the present From a demanding past. Today everything’s Done so fast, as women follow pagan slavery to Reveal their ass Decode my cry! Basic necessities so outlandishly Expensive, youngsters fall prey to gangs for no One seeks a difference Deficits … After 400 years of oppression and repression, Black men are still treated like a flock of sheep and some cattle; They hunt us and stalk us, Detain us, then Blame us; They look for any reason to put their Knee on our necks, and stop us from Breathin; “I can’t breathe”, were the screams that … Running, hiding, and living a lie Living on the wrong side of the law Trust me that’s no way to live at all Something calling me from within It’s time to change my friend The addiction is losing its hold Life’s no longer wasting away Falling apart, growing old It’s finally falling into place The … She was an ordinary woman when we met the 1st time. After 3 years I just knew I had to make her mine. She had pretty eyes and an unforgettable smile Plus a heart of gold and an intellectual mind. Jealousy and foolishness drove me to let her go, But if she could see into … Deliciously stunning! Her chants south me like a child amused at the park; tenderness sets your beautiful soul apart. The virtuous compassionate care she provides gleems light! Her goodwill sparks my heart to new heights. A fantasy complete! I vow to uphold her needs and recite midnight poetry at her feet. Amorous woman become my … Where did government officials’ human hats go? Why cannot leaders re-establish compassionate Hearts Anna Faris like once before? Funding that operated the “World Health Organization” has currently been erased. How can Republicans stomach to watch thousands of needy children’s starved face? How can they embrace solace, when impoverished countries are expelled from the human race? … I am from a cup of coffee, from Folgers and now Keefe. I am from the small and simple apartment, and the cluttered, hectic, musty bedroom basement. I am from the raspberries growing in our backyard, until our dog shannon destroyed them, silly shepard. I am … I am from a single black mom with her being from an upbringing that’s wrought with damage, hard to understand it from a Puerto Rican dad I don’t know, so nope I can’t hold a convo in Spanish, Outlandish because… I am from another world, my home is called Rizq. It’s a planet. I’m from … I am from the white picket fence From wooden rocking chairs and Jones’ cream soda I am from the wraparound porch adorned with hanging baskets bursting over with warm orange, and gentle yellow touch-me-nots trembling in the cool southern breeze I am from the blooming magnolia, evergreen gentlemen slow-dancing with ladies dressed elegantly … I wanted to be the most beautiful angel before God. I was the perfect & preferred son of God: what God ordered of me is what I did! But God banish me! From his side today, I’m an angel distraught & punish forever and ever! Always some have called me the Devil or Lucifer I … Continue reading I Was An Angel Of God – Carlos de Gabarrette I was made in heaven & to heaven I shall return, even though God banish me from his side He abandon me punish me & sent me to Earth. But I’m still His angel & His son. Time belongs to God that’s why his times are perfect. I am who I am, the light of … Continue reading I’m #1, Don’t Play with Me Because You Lose – Carlos de Gabarrette I wake each morning, go to the window, peer at the new day sky. Put on a mask, pray for us all, and ready myself to die. Keep my ears open, for any new news, like who’s gonna fall down next. Open my Bible, search for a verse, and read from … 7/12/20 After quitting my ambition as an artist, a person reached out and gave me serious encouragement. She told me that my wit and word art is good. Or I should keep trying. I then got a Cellie who stated my work was amazing. I thanked him with a wave of doubt and the urge … Continue reading Imoan Wollof I Samurai Theory – Charlie Castillo January 2016 Marianna, FCI, Florida I believe that anyone has the ability to become an artist. Intelligence, creativity, curiosity – these are qualities endowed by our generations that have passed. To me these capacities define every person because they define humanity. This simple outlook might not be shared by others, especially those who claim that … No matter what you think, you’re not in this alone We’re all in this together whether in jail or at home. These trying times we endure will help us love each other more. And we’ll enjoy all the little things we took for granted once before. Although we are many, in a sense we are … It’s a place we’ve all been at one time or another. Not hard to get there for some, but difficult for others. So I know I’m not alone to say I’m with the latter. I used to try hard to visit but my attempts rarely mattered. Determination makes it worse and impossible to grasp; Even … The sickness that’s in us all It’s free will It was my choice, as I recall I put that pipe to my mouth That needle to my vein Again and again And again I said yes, when I knew it was wrong I was already too far gone The disease targets the weak And consumes … 12/6/19 First off I intended this bio to be sent to Prisoners who are unsure as what to draw. I was telling Prisoners about JAC and how they are a wonderful organization. Inmates are ignored by so many non-profits who seem to only pay lip service. I wanted to endorse the arts program and the … I was one of the three-hundred souls swaying in that dark auditorium. The music carrying us away into our own personal private places. The voices, inside and out, urging my young heart to lay it down. I am certain that this took place inside, but I am also certain that there was a … “Lil Fire” When your love washes over me, I lose sight of myself But I see a purpose in me With no direction how to get there Lost? In your terrain But still, true to my purpose To live for us, succeeding. (At couples therapy?) When your love washes over me, My brain makes my eyes create … IN THE THRESHOLD WE BOTH STOOD. AS TIME SUSPENDED OUR HEARTS. A MELODY EMERGED HARMONIOUS AND CONTAGIOUS. LIKE PLEASING CHIMES FROM GOLDEN HARPS. OUR EYES TOUCHED, PULSATING BALLADS OF PASSION THAT SHOWCASED SO NICE. LOVELY LADY MY PROPOSAL TO YOU IS RAPTURE FOR LIFE! INTIMATE SPLENDOUR SHE REVEALS FEELS JUST RIGHT. TWO SEDUCTIVE SOULS QUIETLY … There’s been an issue that I have been wanting to talk about for a long time now. It is becoming rampant and I’m convinced that it’s contagious. I’m going to call it the “Give Me Complex.” Let me give you an example. Just the other day I was talking to someone who was interested in … Continue reading Make Examples, Not Excuses – Anthony Billings The strongest person I’ve ever known, she did her best to raise a man, Tried to teach me right from wrong but I took my own path. Beautiful women, fast cars, loud music and lots of cash Yet right, wrong or indifferent Mama had my back. Now I’m stuck in a cell, tryna contact all … Maria, when we are not together I miss your hair dark like the night sky I miss your aroma. You passionate kisses that like my fire. Maria I don’t want to sleep I want to live awake to see you love you & never miss you because when you’re not with me I miss you … In this piece I decided my love for movies sort of defines who I am and the perspectives I favor. I am a movie fanatic, I tried to pick the first 37 full-length films I’d watch on a romantic date. Comedy, romance, sci-fi, action, etc, etc. I had fun. My only fear? I erred in … Mr. Bluebird stopped by today. He landed closer than usual and that was that: I was his. The song that he sang was a song I had never heard sung before; His small lungs pushing out a gift, it seemed, destined for me. I had no time to properly thank him before he vanished in a … A poem is a prophet and a mirror of the self, an all-seeing oracle made of heavens both, and hells. It lies with killing kindness to ragged, ravaged hearts and cracks the whip of truth in sacred, scarred savages of jagged, jaded art. A college-ruled confessional of charities and sins enumerated and collated of beginnings … So many things run through my mind whenever she comes around. And there’s so much I wanna say that never seems to come out. She’s the love of my life and a great spectacle in my eyes. If I were to ever lose her, life would never be right. She’s never judged me based on … My Love isn’t just words or without meaning… My Love is truly a gem that you will find that’s rare yet sincere… My Love comes from deep within the depths of my soul… My Love is the true meaning of endless love that’s to be embraced… My Love is only a symbol of the love … 9-21-21 Last Friday I spoke to my brother Robert. He told me my Uncle Johnny died and mentioned everyone who attended the wake. I sensed he’d been reluctant to let me know because the first thing he asked was if our “mother had told me about Uncle Johnny?” I asked him how old Uncle Johnny … Just a couple of years after birth, I was taken away, From my family that I knew up to that day Never understood why CPS separated us all Joey and Alice went together though and I am grateful for that call But my brother Jerome and I went our separate ways. Wish there was a … My Womb/My Tomb From within my womb Im consumed by Thoughts and perceived notions, fueled By state potions, entertained by dreams Trapped & fired by vision inside of me As I lay pace? Pray I devise Strategies to help the day I’m exhumed From this tomb in which I stay into that aquarium of color … HURRICANE MICHAEL A federal inmate’s view from the inside, 1-21-19 Natural disasters are always engines of change. Destruction of property, loss of life, and the displacement of whole communities are the headlines that follow the last shakes of an earthquake, or the high water marks of a thousand year flood. We learn of the impact … Hello! New Black World Order, Look around what do you see, “You see all Black faces, angry just Like me Sick and tired of Mothers crying because their Songs keep dying Look at your Brother, Look to your sister, the Love between us Is felt with the same, Heartbeat, “No more dying at the hands … 12/3/19 I received a letter from a person who understood and complimented my art. It made me feel special. Then I wondered if, like a preschool school teacher, she told everyone their art was amazing. I no longer felt special. Then I wondered why I even cared to be special. Insecurity? Validation? Why not be … nanny’s voice is the first sound i hear; sweet, sweet southern drawl like music to my ears; white and brown blurs at our feet as hugs are being shared. aunt boshe and the family rushing to the porch; joy beneath bright icicle lights. is your house on fire, mark? jessie and magpie’s deviled eggs followed … “Sometimes I want to run away. I fear I’ll die if I should stay. I feel suppressed, claustrophobic. I dream of a world that is utopic. But as I took at the life I lead. reality crushes my wildest dreams. And all that’s left is a handful of dust, that seeps into my skin to … Continue reading Ode To Life In A Small Southern Town – Gary K. Farlow The gun takes lives but the pen has the capability to end careers, You can rob a bank with a gun but with a pen you can write millions of checks legally without any fears. The gun has the ability to shake a person out of their boots, but the pen freeze bank accounts and … I’ll take some tender, ignite an ember and nurish the fire of your heart with subtle breaths, from the depths I’ll mend what’s been torn apart Deep inside, where I can’t hide my feelings for you shine brighter In this light, there’s a wisp of life a brilliant spark of splendor I’ll fan your flame, … A simple cartoon that explains how staff members tell other prisoners when they attempt to file grievances. In prison, a grievance is taboo. It is a form of snitching. I heard of a guy who was raped and reported the rape to be stabbed up later for snitching. Oh what a world I live in… … My Musing of a comely charming Woman resembles sweetness like Pecan Pie. Her tasty appeal melts Before mine starved eyes. My amenity for her captures this Lady of auspicious design. Invigorating With delight. Gracious Desire, Let us Share this night. My thoughts of her leave me dancing On clouds after our rapturous show, Captivating a … Do I have any? What a question to ask. Regret… Naturally I do. We ALL do. To say otherwise would be a lie. To look back, I lived in the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s. Is it healthy? NO! You can’t change the past, the things you wish you could change, fix… If only it were that … Today I was asked by another prisoner, “Are you rehabilitated?” I told him “I know I am!” He said “What have you learned?” I told him: I’ve learned that when I’m on the phone talking to my daughter, it feels like my heart is in my ear. I’ve learned that for some, escape is easier … A drink melts in my hand cigarette between my fingers smoky curtain between my world and yours look through the window hazy shade of grey coats my view if it’s all the same what’s the point in trying Yellow sun is shining cigarette between my fingers smoky curtain protects my world from yours behind my … 12/11/2019 In prison staff can get away with putting prohibitions on almost anything, in the name of Security. Claims of bats and spiked poles made out of paper, keeps a person from getting a sufficient amount of paper. An inmate must recycle staples and scotch tape. Isolation is a vacuum where a prisoner has one … Continue reading Rorschach’s Secret Weapon – Charlie Castillo I’ve always wondered about Extra Terrestrials. Do they exist? What do they look like? Do they come in peace or wage war? Many people say they’d run the other way if they saw an E.T. Sadly, the way some humans seem to see the norms of greed, hate, jealousy, indifference and bias, I sort of … I Was Told, If You’re Searching Then You’ll Find! To Me That’s A Lie! You May Ask Why. Well When I Search All I See Is Dirt But I Keep On Searching Like A Burning Thirst Screaming For Water. I Ponder On My Footsteps, A Dumb Sheep Weak & Simple Minded As I Grace On … Who shall broadcast the story of future human sorrow yet to be told? What shall be the remedy for the healing of the sick and consoling the old? Can new technologies incorporate what appears imminent? Desire to live resourceful with children at ease. We need love! To abolish greed. We need collective thinking to abort … Our vision touched That grasped warmth Reflected Spiritual Spark! As we glazed inside Each other’s heart. This euphoric delight Unveiled sensuous feelings Invited hunger And appeasing healing. Her glamorous physique Spiritually reclined. Her delectable charm Gentle and Kind. Her passion Stirred my heart. Impulses raced! Her sheer resplendence Enhances time & space. Our lifetime for … She picked a moment later the ring in the floor you’re convinced as she’s using it if maybe he waited being any the wiser suspect creep off she’ll be maybe we need three strikes one is trying murder so what do we do this is to find dead guy same time seen or heard try … In the headlighted pitch summerdark, flitting wingless moth-priests of disaffection we were on broken shoulders of a broken town. Dropped out and out of tune, wearing halogen halos and waving red-tipped Marlboro censers, drinking from bootlegger baptismals Spirit of St. Louis pop-top pisswater. Proud to be American, and breathing the last corn-tasseled air because there’s … AMERICA SAY GRACE. JEHOVAH LET US GIVE REVERENCE THIS FOURTH OF JULY BICENTENNIAL SEASON. LET HUMANITY FEAST! FOR DREADFUL REASONS. TODAY, RACISM HASN’T CEASED. THIS DILEMMA RENDERS ME BLANK, CRIME STEADILY ADVANCES WITHIN EXECUTIVE RANKS. IMPARTS SADNESS, HOPELESSNESS, HUNGER, UNEMPLOYMENT, GLOBAL WARNING, NO PEACE. PONDER: AFRICA, BRAZIL, HAITI, THE MIDDLE EAST. CONVERTED HAND FASHIONED GHOST … How dare you have the audacity, to tell me, that I can’t be mad at this country, for all the things that it’s done to me! Locked me in a cell for 22 years, knowing that I’m innocent, but you refuse to give me any justice, whatsoever How can I be proud to be an … It will be so sweet and with ease to be released again I have so much to see and so much to do Reconnect with a selected amount of family and friends As I gather my thoughts and my personal property to have a different mindset on the day of release. Rowlo the Bowlo, puddeling of the pipe, draw back your afternoon delight It’s alright, I’ll rot out your teeth, and I’ll crater your face Nothing will ever satisfy you the same Or take my place You think you have me beat ha! Addiction is a disease This sickness makes you weak at the knees Your … I’ve been told nothing is promised but that’s not exactly right. 2 days are guaranteed, the day we’re born and the day we die. Between these 2 days is the time we call life. All the good, the bad, hopes and dreams, long story short, sunny days and cold nights. Over the years we accumulate … The guilty glides into the swiftness of darkness as the innocent suffers the consequences, How can we turn a blind eye to the truth and ignore the foot steps of the evil and the wickedness A man gets found not Guilty of the murder weapon but found guilty of criminal homicide, The verdict is more … The Search Part I So long she’d waited, wondered, hoped and prayed. All that had finally come to pass. A powerful mixture of determined restless anticipation surged through the young girl as she slowly closed the mailbox. She wasn’t just a kid anymore, naive and accepting. Tall, graceful, and very high spirited, at fifteen, she … The sun had only just set, so the world still held that ethereal navy glow. I was running across my front yard, young energetic legs churning, carrying me in my wild youth, as I chased the yellow-green stars as they appeared, disappeared, appeared again. My sister was near, her sweet laughter blending with the cicada’s … Never give yourself up to no man, never, ever on the first date, cause if he respect you as a woman, he will have patients and he will just wait. Never believe a man who is always dropping lines, while even though he is telling you the truth as he tell you that you are … Continue reading The Top Ten Jewels to my Daughters – David Meade My name is not the Shooter, the Killer, or the thief, Its not liar, drug dealer, O.G or the homie. Im not another statistic, Im merely a human being, A young man in this world with goals, hopes and dreams. Yes I made mistakes but the mistakes don’t make me. And if you could look … gone are the days when a dream was only a dream. nanny laughing in the kitchen among the jovial din of family and friends. lily and dudley chasing one another along the furniture; two white blurs coming to a stop to cover me with precious pink-tongued kisses. mama… oh, sweet mama and her beautiful voice … Being a federal inmate and former standup comedian allowed me to view America’s prisons with empathy and hands on experience. Some blame the staff for volatile conditions. Some blame the prisoners. To me, both perpetuate a cycle of evil. Whether you get behind the walls through a sentence from a federal court or take a … Continue reading Two Sides of Incarceration – Charlie Castillo Sittin’ here starin’ out the window of my prison cell Tryin’ 2 figure where I went wrong + turned my life to a livin’ hell I think back + I see it all just a little 2 clearly The day the state ripped my kids out my arms kickin’ + screamin’ My worst fear has … Art is an expression of life and transcends both time and space. It is the artistic process, that is, reality and reality is truth. An artist’s expression is his soul made apparent. Behind every motion, the music of his soul is made visible. creation in art is the psychic unfolding of the personality, which is … Have you been shot & stabbed? Check, Robbed & Stole alot Check. Do you sell drugs? And have kids who miss their father? And a father that never bothered? Check, check, check The slots we fill stay refilled No lack for comfort – the right sign it seems to fit toe to heel. Devastating all … I strolled the block with a bop I posted the block with a plock Walked the streets with my Queens Lurked the streets with my fiends Now the blocks walk around me Lengthwise End to End Here is where they placed my Adrenaline In here the Blocks walk around me And there’s a poor just … I recently said goodbye to my neighbors of, oh, about eight months. Every day, I would observe them hovering and skittering about their home they had constructed right outside of my window. Moments watching them were memorable ones: Their small, nimble bodies darting back and forth on yellow-socked feet, doing whatever natural, though undoubtedly important, … 8/26/20 My mentor latched on to the “Jail within a jail” concept. So I created “Welcome to http://www.Bop.gov” cartoon. It’s two Cell-mates (cellies) who are confined in a cell, looking out. Thing is, there’s a prisoner who is also caged in a mental cell. (thoughts) I’ve heard that the left panel alone suffice. But this … I am from liquid life, From Alabama and Crystal Light. I am from refrigerator taps and Coolers. Releasing better and colder Refreshments to go down smoother. I am from cactus and watercrest, My liquid flows worthy; Hot or cold, I provide my best. I’m from natural design, truly divine, Our desire’s too please all human-kind. … I am from canned foods From sulfur and gasoline I am from the creaks in the wooden Floors brown and cracked, no amount Of polish could fix me. I am from the dandelions the wild Weeds. Whose untamed growth hides me from prying eyes. I am from curry goat and dread locks. From the tears … (why i write) if i could touch if i could move if i could love if i could prove with one word, bless with one word, fill with one word, change with one word, heal then that’s enough i’ve done my part with sharing truth i’ve helped a heart put my pen down that’s what … Nothing is more wondrous than to live in that sublime light of blissful ignorance. Life as understood by a child is a life built using make-believe materials upon false foundations; and perhaps there is nothing wrong with that. Storms and valleys were storms and valleys. never analogies; never hard illustrations. Pining after youth comes frequent, does it not? … “Neutral: The Journery Manifest” – Bednago Harper
(Finally) (King David Speaks) – Mr. David N. Hazlitt aka Crazy Color
-When I Dare to Write- Jordan Earls
24 Karat – B.E. The Truth
A Fathers Wish – Brittian Koty Osorio
A Gentle Whisper – B.E. The Truth
A Mile in My Shoes – Anthony Billings
A Pain Shared – Jordan Earls
A Place I’d Rather Be – Jordan Earls
A Sad Truth – Bednago Harper
A SHORT FLIGHT – Rick
A Voice From Inside… – Amber Daniel
Addressing Injustice – Derrick Grantley
Allendale Dogs – Eggleston
Alone – Cory Sitsler
Amazing Grace – Derrick Grantley
An Iris and Mrs. Roberts – Claude Kelley Kirk
Black Lives Matter – Brittian Koty Osorio
Bluebitter – Claude Kelley Kirk
Cathedrals of Ice – Claude Kelley Kirk
Choices – Brittian Koty Osorio
CHOOSE YOUR SIDE – B.E. The Truth
Cirque – Claude Kelley Kirk
Climb the Mountain! – David Meade
CLIO’S Gift – Charlie Castillo
Coloring Page Project – Carla Joan Simmons
Concrete Walls – David Meade
Daisy and Dandy – Elvis Redzepagic
Destiny – B.E. The Truth
Distant, but Mine – Jordan Earls
Does Anybody Care? – Derrick Grantley
Every First Snow – Jordan Earls
Finding the Fall – Chris Johnson
FREE – B.E. The Truth
From Outside Looking End – B.E. The Truth
George Floyd – Derrick Grantley
God is Good – Amber Daniel
Her – Brittian Koty Osorio
Her Chivalrous Smile – B.E. The Truth
Human Hats – B.E. The Truth
I am From – Brian Hindson
I Am From – Charlie Castillo
I Am From – Jordan Earls
I Was An Angel Of God – Carlos de Gabarrette
I’m #1, Don’t Play with Me Because You Lose – Carlos de Gabarrette
If any or all of us die – Michael P. Riley
Imoan Wollof I Samurai Theory – Charlie Castillo
Impetus – Conor Broderick
In This Together – Brittian Koty Osorio
Inside Insomnia – Anthony Billings
It got us all – Amber Daniel
Joker’s Wheel-o-Life – Charlie Castillo
Lay it Down – Jordan Earls
Lil Fire – Eggleston
Loves Evolution – Safi Dona’t
Magical Rendezvous – B.E. The Truth
Make Examples, Not Excuses – Anthony Billings
Mama’s Poem – Brittian Koty Osorio
Maria – Carlos de Gabarrette
Movie Date Nite 37 – Charlie Castillo
Mr. Bluebird – Jordan Earls
My Ars – Claude Kelley Kirk
My Love – Brittian Koty Osorio
My Love – Lionel Lewis Rogers
My Remote – S. S.
My Story – Anthony Billings
My Womb/My Tomb – Shannon Pride
Natural Disasters – Conor Broderick
New Black World Order – O.G. Blue
NO ONE’S SPECIAL – Charlie Castillo
no such thing as love – Jordan Earls
Ode To Life In A Small Southern Town – Gary K. Farlow
Pen Vs. Gun – David Meade
Phoenix Rising – David Green
Prison Life Fact 28 – Charlie Castillo
Quite Moments – B.E. The Truth
Regret – Ally Bear
Rehabilitation – Safi Dona’t
REQUIEM FOR REALITY – Rick
Rorschach’s Secret Weapon – Charlie Castillo
Run From the Humans – Charlie Castillo
Searching – Authentic Flames
Secret of Time – B.E. The Truth
Share Her Eyes – B.E. The Truth
STOLEN THOUGHTS – Rick
Summerdark – Claude Kelley Kirk
Thanks in Confusion – B.E. The Truth
The Audacity of America – Derrick Grantley
The Day Of Release – Taskinnya
The Disease of the Century – Amber Daniel
The Gift – Brittian Koty Osorio
The Guilty Vs. The Innocent – David Meade
The Search – Bednago Harper
The Things That I Love – Jordan Earls
The Top Ten Jewels to my Daughters – David Meade
This Is Me – Brittian Koty Osorio
this poem is true – Jordan Earls
Two Sides of Incarceration – Charlie Castillo
Untitled – Crystal Jennings
Untitled – Lex
Untitled – Shannon Pride
Untitled – Shannon Pride
Wasps – Jordan Earls
Welcome to the Bop.gov – Charlie Castillo
Where I’m From – B.E. The Truth
Where I’m From – Antique Soul
Why I Write – Jordan Earls
Youth – Jordan Earls
