—Rojai Fentress, August Correctional Center
a heatwave envelops the mid-atlantic
abnormal like the notion of prison
outside an unrelenting centigrade
oven bakes the male housing unit—
cells are jam-packed with the guilty
who pled out though very innocent
7 sounded better than 25 straight
for more than a few consecutive days
there is a spell cast over the complex
a 5” fan oscillates the aroma of piss
from the toilet bowl & it’s jungle-like
where grown men & young boys blend
each inmate’s sadness compounded—
no shade nowhere to hide & running
will get that ass shot at the razor fence
dangling in blood so you sit—suffer
while asking is this how the story ends?
: ARREST WARRANT
hereby an order is issued to appear
stand before ethical gatekeepers
failure to comply is not an option
jurors of the common body the state
do believe an illegitimate break a tear
in society’s framework did transpire
in violation of article 27 section 30(a)
contrary to the act of assembly against
peace a true bill no one will care about
criminal {#289-128} shall inherit destiny
underneath a systemic bootheel
no one will bemoan dire circumstance
racism, disparities, unemployment, habit
lack of wealth nor egalitarianism—
the usual roadblocks shall be futile
in this quest to not only detain but yes
ensure erasure transpires for the good.
: DON’T TRUST THE PROCESS
weight & waiting & wait—
naked stand before a guard
you are now quite invisible
will not materialize through
iron nor the ignorant—
nothing changes nothing:
intake, property, medical
seize a piece of humanity
each destination a moral point
converging toward a cell
hidden in the open by a lie
no one actually believes unless
given a grand tour via hands
cuffed to unbreakable plastic
behind the back pulled taut
no money no phone call no bail:
product for expenditure.
.or. process as prosecution
for the good of the people,
dante & duncan said. the most
abused of an unrighteous order
wrote the soledad brother.
good people do not reside here—
screaming in a dark ocean
the body is not constitutional
becomes more effective than
yelling this setup ain’t right!
: THE MAKING OF {#289-128} IN FIVE PARTS
*
you will be arrested & sequestered
as property of the state as {#289-128}
a beetle
in a darlingtonia
might be more accurate.
*
each day/month/year builds to a question
the response known before the query
again & again
disbelief is futile
on rehabilitation
you wait & … wait—
*
at some point repetition sets in:
boiled egg, farina, white bread, bland coffee
for breakfast reminders
of what you have become {#289-128}
a nonbeing from which
escape or release is a fairytale.
*
the rec yard never alters its landscape:
dirt track, hoops, weight pit, fisticuffs—
*
the changing same … ?
: SORRY THIS NOT THAT POEM
raised block flower & plant bed.
peonies, gardenias, poinsettias
plus a yellow orb slow rising
over an endless golden scape—
darting through uncluttered space
cardinals, thrashers, sparrows
blue air fragrant with lavender
washing brain matter into virtue.
if only i could pastel alphabets
onto a canvas of thistledown
yes, deceit comes to mind—
.a lie. traitor. turncoat. recreant
backstabber here i would be
gut shanked a million times.
this is not that poem nor am i
that poet to hold your hand
.or. erase knothole screams
blood on a cement floor .or.
suicide is another form of escape
no-no-no—yes-i-do promise
the evil-ugly humans inflict
on each other to their [selves]
how time is malice is death
inflaming pupils with spite
inextinguishable if set free—