Greetings! David Cross J. Cameron My name is Naomi! You‟ve Joe O‟Neal Tim Hampton all already heard from me this summer Don Collins William Chaplar but I just wanted to let you know how Jesus Fonseca Robert V. Fryer much of a pleasure it has been to William Chaplar John Lee Bodessa spend my summer reading your Chris Lockridge Chad Lawson poetry! I am currently a Cornell Robert Hambrick William Chaplair student, and back in May I was Paul Washburn Lysander White clueless on what I would spend my A Story That Should Be Told.4-8 Tim Hampton summer doing. However, I am so glad Tim Hampton Billy Lively I literally stumbled upon the Prisoner Jackey R. Sollars Ansen Stowers Express program. This program Robert Hambrick Santos Peña introduced me to a community of Eric Bederson Lucio Urenda people whose voices are silenced, William Miles Frank Johnson III whose humanity is often forgotten, James E. Meier Robert Deninno and who are in essence forgotten: Jackey R. Sollars Huero Williams prisoners. This program allowed me Eric Benderson Entrapment……………17-19 to hear your voices, to see your Eric Remerowski Vincent Garcia humanity. In particular, working with Ryan Collier Ray Charles Gary the poetry program renewed my love Ted Eason Tom Stone and respect for the art of poetry. It is Leslie Amison Dwayne Waterman extremely powerful to see men and Rickey Pearson Santos Pena women sharing their innermost C.F. Christian Shaun Morales thoughts and emotions, candidly and Frank Johnson III Eric Martinez without care for formality or Ben Winter Buster Swafford correctness. Reading your work Jason Forbes David Cross allowed to re-realize the power of Robert Fuentes Maurice Jones words, and the power of poetry. Thank Douglas Harris Anwar Tapia you all so much for your candidness, Curt Gambill Marcos G. Saias and your willingness to share, freely. The Air I Breathe………9-10 Robert Fuentes I‟m glad that you have chosen to Robert Hambrick Sketch confide in the Prisoner Express Gerald B. Prisock Travis Standlee program. Buster Swafford Something Bigger Than We…20-24 Jackey R. Sollars Preston Smith And, I‟m glad that I found the Jose Lauriano Di Lenola William Chaplar program, and you! R. Bailey Don Collins Eric Bederson Thee Gracious Poet Stay encouraged, Anonymous Brian Webster John E. Christ Sheena King Naomi A Thin Line Between Love and Duane Butler Hate……………………….10-16 Dave Gordon Robert L. Hambrick Torrance Maddox Hello to all the poets in the PE program. We Tim Hampton Jose Heladio Villarreal III received many submissions for consideration. James Glaze Greg Shattack Naomi and other volunteers read your works and Dave Gordon Michael Owens chose the poems that were included in this Jesus Fonseca Ryan Collier anthology. A few weeks ago we started putting Albert Pena Leslie Amison all the new poems received in a file for Travis Standlee Ben Winter Anthology#7 as this anthology was completed. Frank Johnson Jason Forbes WhoIn the I sameAm………………. way a number .of 1 -these3 poems were Charle s Christian Robert Hambrick submitted forSteven anthology Denni#s 5 , but as it was full we Felix Rodriguez C.F. Christian sent them over to this issue. The way to receive the next anthology is to submit a poem you have know more about the person you are. Too many stereotypes exist in this world, authored. This program is open to anyone who and while many generalities often contain some truth, none of us are generalities. chooses to write. I understand that for many of We are living, feeling beings, and within that we all are unique. We intend to you, your options for creative self expression provide you with a chance to be heard, understood and perhaps to generate some seem limited. Through poetry, and any other communication between you and others. We will post this anthology on our writing you do, you have the opportunity to website and your addresses will be listed if folks care to communicate with you. express what is inside you. Through the Prisoner As you know we are on the tightest of budgets, and are always searching for Express program, you then have an avenue for funds to keep these programs functioning. All donations can be made to people in the free world to read your words and CTA/Prisoner Express, 127 Anabel Taylor Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 Stay Strong, Breathe Deep, Write On, Gary Steven Dennis Mind Perception I AM – WITH YOUR MIND, YOU Trampled and beat PERCIEVE BY CHOICE, Tossed out on the street Where my life seems to unravel take calling in the voice of trust… Hungry to eat Wearing state shoes on my Family, friend, lover, stranger on OTHERS WILL BALANCE IN feet the street WHAT YOU CANNOT KNOW, A different me for all for you remain alone until reality I AM – who I meet sets in… Starting to bleed Trying to treat them all Feeling the need the same SILENCE IS TO BE BLIND IN Not guided by In life that‟s how you WHAT YOU WILL NOT SEE, greed play the game come forward, heed to the voice of Always tempted opportunity… by speed Now the dwindling sands of time STAY CLEAR OF YOUR EGO, I AM – Have run out for me and AS IT IS A STRENGTH OF More than desire mine WEAKNESS, Free to aspire Loved ones gone, such a great loss keep open your mind and seek the Ready to fly higher Shall fate be left to a coin toss? path toward an open ear… Never a liar A man grown I must decide PATIENCE IS A CURE, WHILE I AM Alone with no one at my side STUBBORNNESS IS A COP- What I am A good life I did destroy OUT, Me Should have been mother‟s pride awareness is to be alert, where Steve Dennis and joy isolation brings seclusion,

David Cross Joe O’Neal WE CANNOT READ Who I am If You Could See THOUGHTS, NOR FORSEE You think you know who I am If you could see inside me, what YOUR NEXT JOURNEY, Even though you don‟t give a would you that is certain, you are here, you damn hope to find, would it be the made a choice of reason. If I don‟t know who I am to be loneliness or darkness How can you think to know me that shows no feeling toward time. Jesus Fonseca If you could look inside me, and I I‟m the bad son of a good mother understand what I am Lenin, stillborn and hurled Loved me true like no other others try to see, would you get into a warped society, Broke her heart, destroyed her lost in my soul or I engage in battle with those who plans would you help struggle to see me diametrically oppose my ideology. Though I was in the best of hands free. I survive under an extreme If you could see inside me and situation called occupation, but Father cared there was no doubt understand what I‟ve I have managed to successfully Quickly forgotten when he‟d shout been going through, would you reverse my indoctrination. My love for him was deep and true stop, look and listen, or I am civilized and refined beyond I never gave him his just due would you let this happen to you. the dreams of the white man, and If you could look inside me, what now A man of many varied faces would you really I wage war with the parasitic Different me for different places hope to find? But while you‟re cowards who raped our women, Friends and family thought they looking, just remember and stole our land. knew the best of us fall down sometimes. I look around only to discover that Could not fathom the man into I If you could only see, this is not my kin has fled and forsaken me, grew what will happen to you and as a result if only you listen to me. I touch and can feel the scars You only know that which I show seared on my psyche. A new me every place I go Don Collins I have witnessed my forefather‟s A lonely road on which to travel war with racism, but now I see I must do the same against William Chaplar Emotions by another name. psychological fascism. Talents I am reflected in the eyes of those The talents we I am not here nor do I who lost their children on the razor possess are exist wire of social strife, what allow us I reply to myself I march in the phalanx of the to excel For my ransomed words pillars who through sacrifice And each of have been rebellious guaranteed me life. us can claim Between honed blades I am repulsed to see my people at least a few. by King of the knife bemused with a severe psychosis, So rather than My spun life was but at least improving at finished I no longer have to endure those things In dreams, by the mad society‟s hypnosis or social you don't do well, spinning spider neurosis. Get more proficient at those things For my death climbs the web with I refuse to conform to society‟s you do. her... norms, so subsequently I am eschewed and scorned cause Failed Rehab Robert Hambrick, I‟ve elected to march to the beat of I'm in jail for the times that I've The Wisdoms of Kropsometor- a different drum. fought. Vol. 1 I value the methodology of the With sheer violence my life has 1.1 “eclectic dissector of doctrines,” been fraught. What praise there is for man! I seek to reduce to ashes those But when asked what I'll do Vain, it is turncoats who‟ve succumbed to When my sentence is through, What is man, but the vilest of capitulation. I simply reply, “not get caught". bests. I had no choice but to No other creature commits raw excommunicate him who was once Learn What Not To Do murder. me, for When people teach you how to act, Other animals indeed kill I possess an arsenal of ideological it's best that you give heed. senselessly at times; purity. But just remember, knowing this is But man is the only one capable I have long been labeled a not all that you need. of murdering for pure selfish gain. recalcitrant by the establishment, It won't suffice to know the Dos if yet DONT's aren't in your view. Man‟s intelligence I will always conduct myself to the Learn, therefore, not just what you Is touted as a blessing detriment of all governments. should but what you shouldn't do. And evidence of his superiority. I am drowning in a religious vortex But see to what destruction and that I declare my #1 enemy Those Who Can oppression I see that it has only served to There‟s a saying that "Those who This ability has been employed anaesthetize and confound my can, do" since time began family. But that's only partially true. I have sat and chewed on the Cause it can't be forgot Nay, cognition is creation‟s curse; philosophy of dialectics, and for That they wouldn't know squat The quest for knowledge is man‟s this If a teacher had not gotten through damnation: I am hunted by the stake to be Had he but nature‟s call, reunited with the other heretics. Chris Lockridge All would be innocence. I hear those on the moral high Open Moments ground have cursed me to their Open moments, black days The ignorant, hell, therefore My where question-unspoken Yea, he it is which is blessed. I have been excoriated and Of when I am going and who I am, The secret of truth dwell with the escorted to my “condemned cell.” I do not exist, so how am I here? simple I now wait to meet my execution (Though he knows not that he so decreed by the likes of ancient They lie about, the wolves of knows.) Rome, yet midnight Work with the sun…sleep with the I see they‟ve forgotten that I‟ve As wishes, softly they caress the stars; always been a resident of the mind catacombs. Mind blossoms, naked, raw contentment with the day‟s bread. What happiness, in such elemental desire. Evil is known only to those who seek to rule anything but Every themselves. Tim Hampton time I turn on the TV, drugs this! Hooditician Drugs that! 1:17 Here ye! Feel me! Can anybody Yet you say the war on drugs is Man has a talent for creating hear me! because of crack babies destruction. They say that the revolution shall Do you think we're some damn (What a contradiction- not be televised fools?! War on Drugs! creating/destruction) black, white, It's a war on drugs because His greatest inventions are red, green or too many hood residents designed yellow it doesn't got Mercedes Benz, To completely annihilate matter the color Tahoe‟s. humanity. so open your So My. President, you say Yet he desires to be his own God! eyes! Stop being when it's time to vote, that asses and realize you want our vote 3:9 that by the Here is my vote, Mr. To stand on honor selfishness of President. Kiss. My. Hood. In the face of sure defeat the world we're Ass. Is worse than foolish, all be3ing It is prideful waste. despised Jackey R. Sollars Is not cowardice talking about The '58' Ford Simply self-preservation? fighting crime No wires, tires, wheels, but but all of them are crooks a good deal. Paul Washburn Democrats still smoking weed A two tone green paint scheme, I AM A HUMAN Republicans snorting cocaine out good chrome 'n' vinyl. I am a mother, I am a father. of match books Parked very dear, toward the back I am a son, I am a daughter. Look at the senate getting down of the tool shed. I am both male and female. with China White “She's been there since back in But most of all I am human. Year, we gonna fight against crime sixty-eight. aight. Motor's blown a thrown rod in my “ROSE AND BUTTERFLY” How would America feel, if I own raving race. for all these year my true self I brought the ghettos to Fort Knox? When cut out of mind, blindly, I did hide, We'll be getting rich and laughing tested God's Grace. but deep down I love who I am on our asses off Pursuing a life taken by mistake. the inside. Giving you 20 years, as soon as My son, a nations son, lost in Nam. I hid for the fear of my life, you get out of detox All a rage, barely the age to be a seeing others who came out go How in the hell is that justice, 20 man. through pain and strife. years for 4 stanky ass rocks? Joined for honor [spit] to conquer a At my birth I was pronounced a Talking all that shit about vote or villainous regime. male, die He died, I died, inside, I lost my but listen to me my true self is a Hell, you want to put me in jail dream. female. cause I don't wanna fight your war! So here you see, sits she, a so get over it and listen to what Matter of fact, I cant' even get you monument of sort. is say, to give me a damn job! For a time, in her bosom, for my true self I will be on this So tell me Mr. President! What in embraced, I had comfort. very day the hell am I gonna go to war for?! Now the iron, my nightmare, its just as the clouds are in the sky, The hood, ghettos and projects, time to let go.; I am beautiful as a rose and free as been fighting since day one!!! For now the old fifty-eight does a butterfly.. I can't get my disability but you're vex my soul. talking about, I'm a Vietnam vet! These things, memories, the Unemployment so high, people Farmer stated with hear. goin half on a cigarette! His insane pain coercing deep, forcing to part. With the treasure, the barrier lulled to sleep. Via nature or even purchased anew. Oh innocence, artificial can cause paralytic Pimple-faced, raced he with hopes Would you starve and depression, rapturous joy, anger, of youth. strangle hate, lust, envy, excitement, dulled Cruising around the home town, Life‟s passion unfound? memories invoked by only a few gal under arm. strains of melody, perhaps music is James Dean Flare and the bushy Before the glass… an empathic form of Beach Boys charm. She decides, communication. A graduating Patriot with “what is given dispositions for war. cannot be taken.” James E. Meier The Senior trip that goes on Ending of “the dream” forever and ever. Eric Bederson Gaping holes begin to form Ne'r to return to burn rubber or Fingerprints Midst huddled masses double clutch the Ford. Sitting on the summer porch American dream All chances of taunting and You in your sun dress Turned nightmare tempting the local law. Me in my short-shorts Sat I there, wide-eyed, hands upon Nothing between us Just the Hope dims the wheel. laughter And homeless Spirits now bound for the old Denser than the humid night Crowd alleys man's pain I did feel. (Twenty years will pass before I And scramble for food What pleasure this treasure share his secret) brought to his boy. Gullible crowd pews A reward to steward in this boy's I saw from my hiding place Seeking escape last toy. Butterflies lose their wings Amid rantings It had no wires, tires or wheels, but Invisible burns left like Of false prophets what a deal. fingerprints This iron horse of muscle with a We are as two rocks in the same Deluded teachers heart of steel. River bath drawn in circles from Rant of salvation The faucet‟s drip Beyond price Robert Hambrick Wishing the claw-feet to run away Then itemize cost Virginity‟s Question Dreams of the ocean‟s vastness Naked before the glass Untouchable open seas Babbling of free gift She determines, Without string “There must be a reason… I lied awake eyes clothes listening Then tell what‟s required these differences.” To the footsteps and the hurried To earn it Oh, what price innocence, Breath of your night-terrors Tis not knowing. Teeth grinding Misery counted Is it better then… Jacob‟s Ladder descending my As requisite to To love Love Cat‟s cradle string Selected members And to never know love; The pick up sticks This elite club Or to taste love Jacks And risk disappointment Footsteps on Jacks Formed before time and loss? And your suicide resounds By a sadistic God Seeking adoration Oh innocence, William Miles From victims What do you hide? Music To keep another‟s secret Music in it many different forms Americans crushed Is virtue; what ever you may prefer rock n‟ By jackboots of hobnail To keep one‟s own roll, country (old), doo-wop, metal, And deprivation Is selfish and chamber opera or our eldest form Wielded by profit cowardly. natural elements, thunder, rain, Why, oh daughter of nature, birdsong, animal song even sea or Capitalist demand Fear to feel? lake creatures sailors of old knew Reward for slave driver Why deny the understanding and may not have understood , Ne‟er-do-well What knowledge the heart whale song as it reverberated Bloodsucker decries? through the ships wooden hull Who in greed Drains the worker Eric Benderson With promise Oleander 2007 Unfulfilled We were in London on holiday – I wake 2005 Alone in my cell Jackey R. Sollars After Lola came my transfer Celebrating a brand new day. Gettysburg To Birmingham. London is a (in passing through, 1990) Distant haze in her memory. I sit In Dawn‟s thick fog, spirits Two years removed her nursery Alone in my cell groaned, imprisoned School appears smaller than my Being at peace with the world. Echoes the brave with Reflections and the tree she would fearful battle cries, Climb to wave adieu had been cut I eat choking down. Alone in my cell in smoke of These yesterdays were Savoring every single bite. Ancient fodder within reach fires. For my wife and I I kneel Alive still among We could still touch and Alone in my cell grave taste Communing with my higher Self. monuments over And smell the oleander at hill and dell. the front I sleep Door. Lola laughed at a Alone in my cell Those thousands whom fell in the photograph - Flying as pure as Consciousness tumultuous hours. She had been digging out the Green fields, stained raised I awaken! meadows, rivulets of life doth Flower beds along the fence. flow, From the few things, Lola Ryan Collier from man and beast, remembers Listen to my Heart friends, brothers now mutual foes. Being stung by a bee and a night What does it take... And for what? A nation divided We spend combing nits from her to receive? with opinions of chaos? hair. I know I've got to believe... And I do.... Upholding the Gutless and Eric Remerowski that‟s why I'm on my knees. Armchair General‟s points of Solitary I don't know what to say.... view. 2001 to speak.... Demanding of the I wake or just exactly what it is.... commoner his only wealth, Alone in my cell that I need. dust to dust now share Breathing yet another day. But these tears are real.... they the Valley of Death. streaming from the loneliness I Where all men are equal after I sit feel. paying a fool‟s dues. Alone in my cell So... instead of praying... Remembering all I've done wrong. instead of what my mouth is Among the anguished, cries saying... thunderous pain still heard. I eat just listen to my heart.... For a moment sat I Alone in my cell listening to the fighting and dying, Tasting nothing but regret. Ted Eason as Death comes gaily Broken prancing and dancing. I kneel My word is made better by your Till the last claimed soul is Alone in my cell existence - stricken unable to stir. Praying for a second chance. my heart stronger by your love, my life, whole, by your Came then that silence deeper than I sleep complementing me. death itself. Alone in my cell My pain, eternal, by your death... Tis more Treasure poured into Dreaming of my former life. my soul lies broken Liberty‟s chest. at your Less we forget, I wake.... Grave. without regret.

and even though I try Frank Johnson III Leslie Amison (oh my god I need to cry) Continuation of a Dream Deferred The Backhoe Operator it's easier to get blood from a Tribute to Langston Hughes turnip. Today, I hear the boogie woogie What was a young man Too much time to think on things rumblings with an IQ of one fifty doing on what I lost, on what I miss Of a dream deferred operating a backhoe? the bile coming to my throat Langston‟s cry to his father- daddy as I forcefully push away my ain‟t you heard TRUE thoughts, memories, and broken The b-bop roar? you were making 7 dollars an hour dreams. … I hear the music in his head, as when that was a lot of money. I only think in the abstract these he taps his feet, TRUE days, a poetic genius at work words you could manipulate the control no specifics, o particulars filled his sheet. levers residuals only blink in and out He wrote to the sound of music; to bring the scoop down within one and in and out. Lead by the drummers beat, quarter inch I find I carry on my past, The high hat hit! While the piano of grade. All I had to do was even though living in the present - was discrete, out the grooves. the here and now, Then the change… his pen began STILL and seldom I ponder my future. to flow- it seemed like such a waste of a This is the life I live As his mind relaxed keen mind the life I chose, but would never Responding to the commands of even if you 1957 Chevy choose again. the soft melodious sax; beat like a Swiss watch This place is a hell of the worst His feet again tapped as he raised + kind both arms- your supercharged Corvair filled with ramblings and ravings In anticipation of the smooth brass did wheelies at the drag races. that can rattle even the sanest of blowing horns… minds. Yeah Langston, I hear the beat the Perhaps True, I earned my place here - call of our mother AFRICA it was all in the father. trapped in time for such a Yeah! The thump-thump chains of He torqued + twisted your ego. thoughtless crime oppression, then the rapture: You sought salvation in machinery the taking of a human life has only Animals and fruits run and grow + a school teacher lover who also brought me strife. wild loved the machined steel + the I seek growth, while desires are Dreams were born then taken from unguent dashed upon the rocks that cause the mind of a child… that made it possible my mind for the modern man to orbit the to roll like an embittered ocean. Yeah Langston! I hear the beat- earth Unbalanced, at times I think too There‟s music in my head, I too + to find balance at such a distance much tap my feet… from Nature. at others... not nearly enough. There‟s an AFRICA in my town If I were a crying man, I'd cry... just like your Harlem; Rickey Pearson a praying man, then I'd pray Snare with high hat- trumpet a I Live but what more can I say? - calling. Sentenced to a life time of inner I'm a living man, so I live... I can‟t keep up like him but my struggles feet still taps the beat is outta sync every day I find myself hoping... to C.F. Christian with my pen- still caged perhaps. see the next. Too Full Rat a tat- b-bop- thump thump- God... I fight myself on many One of the reasons boogie woogie STOP! fronts - Why I believe in God …now start again… spread myself too thin If I did not but so far I've held I withstood the Believe in God Ben Winter desperation I would be so full Thought and hopelessness that surrounds Of myself Silence is broken me, No one could stand No longer golden but tainted that occasionally resides within. Being around me By the ever present thought In 10 years of incarceration That refuses to die I've only cried twice, That thought repeated a Fists which bloodied my nose. Mothers and daughters; Thousand thousand times Pummeling paws have kneaded Domestic and foreign shores. Drips corruption on the peace that and formed had finally come home The day that I was into what exists Following their orders, Until that hopeful place is lost Now, I suppose…; Defending the borders; Another link in the chain from Living in a man-made hell. Lost like teeth in later years which I No longer able to savor but Descend. But, I‟ll be the last in Burial with honors, Simply to survive on mushy bits that Sons and daughters; That can hardly he considered… Tradition, because I decide that Those that fought and fell. Life (with me) it shall end. Fog and pain, Silence is broken and Wars bloody reign; The only token left is stone Robert Fuentes Death shall not cease. Gray remembrances cracking like A Father‟s Wisdom Fault line fissures to shake the Sitting at a simple Soldiers die, World to dust under the Roach coach restaurant, Victors cry; Force of that thought I speak with my son Hell‟s unholy peace. Between burger bites That singular life breaking thought And milkshake sips, Curt Gambill That continues on and on Casual conversation of life; Desperate Times Like mountain ranges that no man I tell him of things A child cries out to a mother who Has conquered or climbed He should not do is gone. And things of greatness Lost to the streets, she‟s forced to Silence is broken like a bone That he can become. make ends meet. With a sickly crack He listens with half-stoned ear, Who‟s to say if it‟s right or if it‟s Left to heal without being set The same way I had listened wrong, The able bodied would be king Cause these are desperate times. Hobbled and wrecked When my father spoke to me, And left for dead Until I grew silent A young soldier lies bleeding in What is left for such a being? In my own realization some faraway hell, That the things I so wisely Fighting a war without objectives Silence is broken and all that was Tell him not to do for politicians without conviction. Golden has turned to Are things I have done, When will it all end? Only time Rust in an open hand And things I so greatly tell him he will tell, Blown away like autumn leaves can become Cause these are desperate times. Past their prime Are things I will never be; Preparing for the time when And only now do I understand A widow drives slowly away from Winter reigns and freezes Why my own father her home of forty years, The thought from a throne of white Had told me the things he did. Her children are grown, her husband is gone, and the crops Jason Forbes Douglas Harris have failed. Take a Knee Unholy Peace So when the bankers foreclosed, The day blackened and blurred at Bullets are flying, all she had left were tears, the edges Soldiers are dying; Cause these are desperate times. While burning, dry and cold the Missiles in the sky. lump that A prisoner sits with a letter at his Churns in my chest by what the Wounded are screaming, feet and tears in his eyes, mind Feeding the demon; He thinks of his sister and the Dredges. No their loved ones cry. streets, his brother and the war, his Dealt like cards from a stacked father and the grave, and his deck are Driving the tanks, mother, who, like him, is The memories of every lashing Filling the ranks; heartbroken and alone, blow across Blood thirsty wars. Cause these are desperate times. My back, clenching hands „round These are desperate times. my neck, Sons and fathers, Robert Fish crawdad Hambrick minnow and musk. When Will It B'yon the deep Be Spring endless sky. When sol in Stars soft glory give his smile Leading me, now and then, planets, great suns shine. And cold Mariah sleeps Upon new paths, I‟ve never been. The blessings these days of hope for her season; God doth make. When puffy clouds fly white and Flaming Sphere, so ghastly near. When I upon a pond do bright Lil‟Star, for you I fear. contemplate. And proud trees sprout If you‟re plucked from Heavens leaves by reason; Beyond A Window When serpents dream (a night on the lake) upon the rock Whispering Wind, blending And bleating colors to dust. bovine increase their A hera of spirit, living stock; liberation.; When buzzing bees are Tails snap, manes ripple, busy shadowed imagination. And eager eggs Quickened silhouettes to the crack easy west upon red dusk. And chubby Feathers white down glides cubs crawl from dark upon mirrored soil. dens A handful of pebbles And long lost thrown against lucent glass. lovers make amends; Through dark of night When night winds apparitions pass. warmer drift Till first light when instinct And Ursa has stirs toil. made the shift; hand, Mist hovering in Dawn's graying I„ll make a wish, we meet again. light. When flowers If the table should be reversed, Lazily heads lift sniffing hopes sing. And I should, leave here first. new day. I hope you‟ll scatter, beams of Restless neighs softly, a coyote's Gerald B. Prisock light last bay. Rain Upon my resting place each night. Stillness breaks with a flurry fowl taking flight. Gently falling rain Jackey R. Sollars Soaring high, the foal lifts Awake flowers from their slumber Beyond A Window its head, Stirring from where they‟ve lain (a day on the lake) bidding the pond elders a friendly Opening blossoms without When I upon a pond doth farewell. number. contemplate. These days of hope God Jose Lauriano Di Lenola Buster Swafford doth make. Slow Movements Lil‟Star On one world I see elements of Slow movements of sound So bright, such a sight, two. Agitate my ears with Lil‟Star, you are a fright. The pond and sky both Vague whispers that Hanging there, among the rest, I deep blue. Echo and accuse bet you‟re, scared to death. In Ripples, geese duck and crane Me with feed. Every rustle. Oh how you dance, and jitter, Finches wrens frogs May you never, lose your glitter. snakes in the reed. R. Bailey Or fall across my sky, Clouds pass o'er islands of white. Without Hope To fade away, and die. Where-in a heron is still Dripping with creek water Oh how you sparkle, and shine, in flight. Hunting snails A guiding light of mine. B'yon the mirrored plane mask. A white motion Be guided by fate egret to its Surrender your soul and allow it to Impossible flight, take you where it may legs dying Just to live another day. Like straw at every Everything isn‟t always great, pause in How can it ever be too late She turns to the wind. To partake in this wonder look Rather then plot to tear the world He kisses When asunder her exposed the Hear thunder roar, neck laughter Feel it reverberate in the floor subsides When the storm is through She stiffens and Here comes light anew Unprepared sticks Waiting to greet & guide you – cease to be thrown, As you walk under the moon, The name of another when rapids refrain from while insects cascading, Chitter and croon knowing this The narcissus no longer sacred when the heart-beat of the butterfly dark will part soon. Under the ant‟s footfall is all but cocooned, when I see beyond this memory, free from my John E. Christ It passes loneliness, when The paper bridge the sun‟s rays Into September warm but do not burn my Autumn of withered grass skin when my Autumn of ghost-like winds aged eyes rest to a new spring in Eric Bederson bloom, At the Riverside a riverside at play, The flow, smooth as silk a fountain of youth over sandstone (at times) beside an ageless Coursing variety of turbulence, citadel, where from cooling in shadowy pools of my time has flown. arching boughs. Anonymous Leafy fingers, gusting! Prisoner Parting wide river rolls OUT OF THE under strokes of light. Dusted DARK rays glisten off rapid reflections When rain pours of summer, floating in seasonal forth from the sky rituals as adventure seekers hunt As lightning walks polliwogs and single-minded the land tonight beasts Striking at random chase sticks and stones with might, while safety-headed protectors It seems so much tote lotions to keep sunburns at bay like life. when splashing stirs with laughing No matter what sun and sticks and stones are thrown will shine again, followed by plodding dives. Nothing can remain grim Looking Up Then eyes gleam diaphanous When something new is waiting to Into the darkest void wings begin Uncounted stars fill the cosmos of a butterfly in a wave of illusion Listening to the winds sigh Waiting silently beneath the water as it dances Wondering if the time is nigh in the glow above with a heart-beat Or Far like a star in the night Robert L. “Why yes, Hambrick sweet frog, I‟ll The sit with you Greatest Thief lady, Many a times you're alone Now tell me why you‟re sad and The greatest thief and on your own, observing those blue.” steals light shattered dreams, It doesn't matter “An evil curse befell a prince and changes it to shadow; if you're a hooker and smoker, + Which cost him his strong shadow, into oblivion… smoker, cause for your heart I'm a countenance fiend, and will always be, From His mighty stature in a fog steals ambition my lips you will always hear, no Changed into a slimy frog.” and changes it to contentment; matter what woman you're still a The princess laughed, “I‟m sure contentment to sorrow; lady it‟s true, sorrow, into apathy… But let me guess, this prince is James Glaze you?” steals enjoyment Friendship The frog he sat so proud and tall, and changes it to mediocracy; Friendship is a precious bond, “One day I will be King of all!” mediocracy, into contempt; so fragile, yet so strong. “So tell me frog – oops! – I mean contempt, into loathing… It‟s nurtured by our deeds and prince, thoughts, How can we fix your steals desire and soothes when things go wrong. countenance?” and changes it to loneliness; “A princess must fulfill my wish, loneliness, into desperation; Friendship is companionship: Yes her sweet lips and mine must desperation, into despair… the joy of sharing fun, kiss.” of bridge games, golf, and notes “Oh froggy woggy you‟re so sweet steals love we send, But our two lips will never meet.” and changes it to abandon; that keep us on the run! “Oh princess if you only knew abandon, into recklessness; What to me your kiss would do. recklessness, into fatality. Friendship, also, shares the times I wouldn‟t stay a frog for long, when sorrows come our way. I‟d be a prince, so brave and The greatest thief of all To have dear friends, who really strong.” turns minutes to hours; care, “Oh froggy woggy, if I kissed you hours, into days; makes “grey days” much less grey! I‟m quite sure I‟d need a tissue. days, into years; So soggy, wet and sticky too, steals all, Friendship never can be owned: Won‟t I catch a wart from you?” and leaves only tears. a special gift from God “You silly princess, can‟t you see to bring us happy memories A single kiss will set me free!” as life‟s long path, we trod. The froggy woggy pressed his will Tim Hampton Her princess cry continued still You're Still a Lady Dave Gordon “But froggy woggy have you seen I'm feeling that! You grab life by Froggy Woggy From head to toe your skin is its reins, It didn't matter that you A froggy woggy in a pond green! didn't have all the facts, I look at Spied a princess on her lawn For I‟m a princess pure and true you with the utmost understanding, He strained to look with eyes Why should I kiss a frog like Doesn't matter if you're white or bulged out you?” black, Society tries to label you, So With froggy voice he shouted out, “Have you not read or yet been I apologize for the mental abuse, “Oh woe is me here in this pond, told Because without your touch what If ere a princess came along.” That every prince begins a toad?” would we do, Our daddies steady The princess looked and saw a log, The princess thought about his leaving us without nothing in the And there upon it sat a frog. words cold, And now we're an “Oh froggy woggy, sounding sad, “Why that‟s the silliest thing I‟ve afterthought, mama didn't do all Did someone steal your lily pad?” heard!” that talking, She fought and “Dear princess it‟s much worse “Tis silly NOT! Oh princess dear, walked the walk, Your essence we than that Please pucker up and kiss me here! try to ridicule, Throwing Could you sit with this frog and Why do you laugh? You are so meaningless words that degrade, chat?” mean, Yet through it all you're still a When I‟m a prince I won‟t be away and my joys feel like they‟re Our chance just passed us by, green. going to stay in my life forever. So think about the future Nor will my eyeballs bulge at you, I want you to know that my world Cause forever was a lie. For when we kiss they‟ll turn is reassured by you, my tomorrows bright blue.” need to have you near. So many of Frank Johnson “Oh froggy woggy prove to me, my smiles Cry Once... Can you give me a guarantee?” depend on you, Cry me a cry, one-my The princess laughed till her tears and my heart is child fell so thankful that Let your untamed tears The froggy thought, “Oh what the you‟re here. runneth wild hell!” Let the rain fall from your “Okay sweet frog, but answer this, May 4, 2010 fertile eyes Will you be mine after we kiss?” Albert Pena Let your daddy hear his “Why yes princess, that part is Forever With daughter's lonesome cries. true. You Once we kiss, I‟ll belong to you.” You will never I didn't see you fall from “I like the thought of owning you know what you that wicked red bike To do all that I tell you to!” have I didn't see the wind steal So when the princess leaned his Never until it‟s your flimsy yellow kite way, lost I didn't see your lonely, The froggy woggy hopped away… Does it have to be good-bye sleepless nights THE END Paid such a heavy cost I didn't see in your heart-loves (for all inquiring princesses) tender lights You were given a heart and soul Fragment memories of a tearless Jesus Fonseca But you really just don't know cry To My Soul Mate… The pain you've left inside Never seen tears flowing from my I am so glad that you are a part of Leaving this wishing he could die daughters eye my life. It is a privilege Cry me a cry, once-my child to know you, to share myself with But even thru the pain Let your untamed tears runneth you, and to walk together on the I know just what to say wild. paths that take us in so many My Love hasn't, Nor will it beautiful directions. Ever fade away. Charles Christian I had heard of “soul mates” before, Prejudice but I never knew such a person For my Love is forever with you What is it about a crow could exist. With each and every breath A black crow, Until I met you… somehow, out of Until I am with my Father That makes me think of evil? all the twists and turns our lives On the day I meet my death... could have taken and out of all the The shadow of a snow chances we might have missed, Travis Standlee A mood as dark as the blackest it almost seems like we were given Forever crow a meant-to-be-moment I would have stayed forever A dark soul… to meet, to get to know one Enchanted by your eyes, another, and to set the stage for a Believing all the love songs Crow‟s sit high in the tree of evil special togetherness. When I am But the love songs told us lies. Watching me with black inky eyes, with you, I know that I am in the Not a word said in judgment. presence of someone who makes I could have stayed forever my life more complete than I ever If given half a chance, How did I find something to hate? dreamed it could be. But Karma came between us Why do I fear crows… I turn to you for trust, and you give Without a backward glance. To hate a thing that just is.. it openly. I look to you for inspiration, for I might have stayed forever What is the cost answers, and for encouragement, Flown home just like a bird, Of not having an enemy, and not only do you never let me If you had said you wanted me Would hatred and fear die away? down, you lift my spirits up and But you never said the words. take my thoughts to places where Can God be trusted my troubles seem so much farther And now we know its over In the dark, or Only in the light? my life in the cool still hush of From the beginning I told you. you to “just keep it real;” “Don‟t Evilness of the crow try to convince me, I‟m not new to It‟s not an angry bird When you smile I‟m warmed like this deal.” “I‟ve done this before,” Looking to break bones or earth in the sun. “I‟m not new to the pain.” I hearts…. your laugh is the brook at my attempted to warn you, and you doorstep. still tried to run game! One minded thinking Why did you do it, why With symbols of eternity, Gentler are you than breath, couldn‟t you see, that all that I First, last, omega… stranger than death. needed was you to be honest with Just to touch your crowning glory me? I knew that it hurt, I knew it Can I put this away, Is more tranquil than slumber. was hard, to try to hold on to a Black, crows, superstitions, man behind bars. Eyes that accept no light. Surely all my wandering finds it I knew it was tough without the Souls never die affection you need; Characters are formed I knew you‟d go get By the choices we‟ve it and expect me to made. believe, that you‟d never to cheat, Every minute of anger „cause your not I love 60 seconds of joy.. human like me. Bad habits can be broken. I gave you the chance to be A black crow, a! real from the start; Seeing something rainy, “Just keep it one To heal, I swear it smiled. hundred and don‟t play with my Felix Rodriguez heart.” “Don‟t think My Dwelling Place me the fool, don‟t Love, you are my refuge, sit there and lie, just My abode forever. do what you do and Expiration in you. let sleeping dogs lie.” Just as a joyous bachelor In your brown eyes may I safely Why did you do it, why may desire to be a lone wolf, Perish. did you lie? You tried to convince So as your spouse do I dream me looking me square in the eyes. of being more united in marriage. Darling, you are my hermitage, You could have been smart and My dwelling for ever. just not brought it up but, the guilt Your body is a passage leading was too much you had drank from through a golden wood; For (who else?) the cup; that cup filled with your love is a clearing “Many women do noble things, but pleasure, the pleasure you craved. in the midst of the grove. you surpass them all.” You used words of deceit, words Proverbs 31:29 that could have been saved. Here have I built my residence, You could have been here in you alone. J. Cameron silent, leaving the truth un-spoken; With you I know little solitude Why Did You Do It you could have stood firm in your deeper than my own. Why did you do it; why silence, leaving the trust unbroken; did you lie! Did you think it would you could have been real baby, and One table, one rocking chair hurt less if you attempted to hide. we could have got through it, but by the hearth of you, The facts are the facts, the truth is you chose to play games. Baby, and in your face a window what‟s real; If you could have been why did you do it? more brilliant than the firmament! honest nothing could kill, the love that we shared, the bond that had Your utterance is more peaceful grew but, you steady denied, than knowing I knew. my thoughts. Gladly shall I spend Tim Hampton Something that might interest you- It was over before I knew it and Won‟t Change in case you didn‟t know- only God knows why At the age of 23, I had experienced Is that this could be the year these My heart still aches with sadness something new people finally let me go. as my secret tears still flow A thing called sacrifice just to be There‟s something else about me What it meant to lose you, only with you you likely never knew; me, the one who loves you knows Having disagreements and Reading books is probably my Since you‟ll never be forgotten I arguments because you wouldn‟t favorite thing to do. pledge to you today do the same But I am not one of those The strongest region in my heart is Not having trust in you „cause I intellectual elite. where you‟ll always stay knew you were still playing games (Without “Vampire Diaries” my People say there is reasons, they life is not complete!) say time will heal Trying to put up with your The music that I listen to is all over But neither time nor reasons will unfaithfulness, because my love the map. change the way I feel for you is strong (Oldies, country, new age, classic For no one knows the heartache You got me caught up in your rock and even rap!) that lies beyond my smile smell, so I‟m just tagging along One thing that just might interest No one knows how many times I Hunt deep down inside, when you you more so than any other have broken down and cried holla at other kids when we‟re Is this new-found relationship that I want to tell you something so together I have with you r mother. there won‟t be any doubt If I could just find the strength in So now that I have told you about You‟re so wonderful to think of me to break away, I‟ll be much the things I like to do, but hard to be without better My hope is that I might find out a So if I could have a lifetime wish little about you. or just a dream come true‟ Our anniversary is next week, and But I‟d sure understand if you I‟d pray to God with all my heart you fronting like you care would rather not reply. for yesterday and you Made special romantic (With all that‟s happened, we may A thousand words can‟t bring you arrangements in hopes you‟ll be never see eye to eye.) back, I know because I‟ve tried there If that‟s what you decide, though, Nor will a thousand tears, I know Just like last year, I know how it understand that I‟ll be sad, because I‟ve tried will be „Cause I was hoping all could be I hold now my broken heart and A table of roses and champagne forgiven. happy memories too with a chair only reserved for me Love, But I never wanted those, I only Your Dad wanted you! William Chaplar John Lee Bodessa A Letter From The Inside Robert V. Fryer Friend Sometimes I sit and wonder if you If Tears Could Build A Stairway If I could catch a rainbow ever think of me. I thought of you today but that is I would do it just for you I wonder if there‟s someone else nothing new And share with you its beauty you wish that I could be. I thought of you yesterday and will On the days you are feeling blue I fully understand that, of me, tomorrow, too If I could build a mountain you‟re not very proud. My dreams are of you in silence You could call your very own And over our relationship, there‟s and make no outward show A place to find serenity always loomed a cloud. For what it means to not have you A place to be alone I guess I never really took the time only those who love you know If I could take your troubles to let you know Remembering you is easy I do it I would toss them in the sea Who I‟ve become since you saw everyday But all these things I am finding me eleven years ago. It‟s the pain of not having you that are First off, I‟d like to let you know- will never go away Impossible for me in case you haven‟t heard- But if tears could build a stairway I cannot build a mountain That I‟ve developed quite a and memories were a lane Or catch a rainbow fair fondness for the written word. I would walk right up to heaven to But let me be what I know best a I‟m letting you know this because I ask God for you again Friend that‟s always there. hope one day you might Our hearts words weren‟t spoken Forgive me long enough to take and I never wanted a good-bye Chad Lawson the time to sit and write. Near But Far You‟re near but far. The cloud covers just to say hi or about how much you mean to me You gave me the strength as if and how wonderful life is because Even though you‟re where you are. The sun rising to the sound of a of you. But I don‟t recall, ever I wonder what I am, you told song saying thank you, for liking me Me, “I am A man.” Bird here to awaken a new day. and accepting me, as I am. And for When hard times fell, loving me. For letting me know it, You dusted me off again. Just hearing the sound of your and for sharing with me, in your When I got hurt you name is own special way. But, in my heart, Picked me up and told Like hearing a voice speak inside I thanked you all the time for Me to be tough. my chest, so everything you had done. And for I know I have become I wonder will I ever find peace and most of all, for being you. A man that‟s the part you the courage Wanted me to understand. To speak to you. Billy Lively Now I am on my own two Thoughts of You feet again to let you know Or will I be forever doomed to For most people That I still here, but feel wonder what Days are measured Your hands on my shoulder Could of happened between us if I In hours and minutes. “You‟re near but far.” only took the For me, they‟re measured In thoughts of you. William Chaplair A more pleasant way I Owe You the World To track sand I owe you the world, Though the hourglass or as much of it as I Has never existed can give. The clock which counts Because I wasn‟t All the days of my life there, you were forced Can now be set. to live the life you And its hands lived. Will point forever So I owe you the To thoughts of you. world, but you‟ll have to settle for the life Ansen Stowers It‟s likely you‟d have On Dreams lived if you hadn‟t I weep for dreams as yet ever been my wife. unknown, In payment of my When startled debt, I promise to do from my restless sleep, all I can I know no reason to To prove to you that I bemoan, am capable of being the man One chance to say I was thinking The loss of things I can You‟ve always dreamed about but of you today. never keep. never thought that I But bemoan their loss, I find I do, could be. Tim Hampton Such passion spent on „Cause I owe you the world for The Perfect Words fallow ground, everything you‟ve done I wanted to find the perfect words A senseless waste of emotion blue, for me. to make you realize just how much Yet to such fancy am I I appreciate your time, and to say, bound. Lysander White thank you. But the words continue Where dreams in sleep are playful Thinking Of You to elude me. What would they be? prose, I seem to find my head filled with Something poetic, I‟m sure A respite from life with Thoughts of you as if I was writing heartfelt, and out of the ordinary. nothing lost, For something or someone. But, I‟m afraid, it‟s no use. Every A place where censure never goes, time I look at your picture, or think And fantasy is without Like the stars in the night sky of your name, the words just seem cost. awaiting to come out the same. I often tell Righteous seems such burning The moon to pop out from behind you, I love you and say how glad I rage, am, we found each other. Talking Like yon silvered star, The spirit swept into this cage, in the world around me... Turning pages back to To repent of sins from in all I do - yesterday‟s love. afar. There is a piece of time rekindled, As her breast pressed Wrath and ire, like armor worn, from the ashes of “Ago.” against my bosom Protection from without, It merges briefly with my now. Her joy became my joy, Hopes and dreams now are torn, Only to fade, and die. Her peace- my peace… Replaced by ceaseless Taking with it, doubt. Yet another piece of me as it …She then sat down in the middle Such lofty goals as gone before, leaves again. of my soul Usurped by staid ideal, Not entirely, unwilling to let go – We Adventure beckons like an open but unable. danced, to our song door, Lives tied, souls entwined... Then we Yet there‟s no passion left searching... ever yearning... created a new form of love to feel. the close comfort of togetherness, …I woke up------In Passion past with gavel‟s break, once shared... thought… As judgment is incurred, now a memory... Life and freedom will they take, held in every fiber of my being – Robert Deninno At critic‟s lonely word. forever were The Magic’s Come Undone though always, you are gone... Wild eyed golden child Santos Peña from all but my heart and mind. Your placenta was the sun Daddy Boy Ever with me now, Misty eyed and jaded now I stumble through a restless sleep. the emptiness, of life without The magic‟s come undone Then I saw your tender face of an you... Your heart is broke angel. - of life... Your soul is bruised In my dream. …missing you... You guard yourself Playing and singing. From being used With your smile and laughter. Lucio Urenda And try to keep yourself It had put so much weight, Have To Admit amused To my lonesome heart I have to admit While the colors fade and Wanting to hold you in my arms, I feel more at peace run Which I miss you very much. When I look into those Wild eyed golden child It's not the pain that hurt. Sparkling pools The magic‟s come undone. It's, not seeing you Those beautiful eyes that rip through me like arrows in That enchant the soul Huero Williams my heart. For her pretty sight Never Unity You wouldn't imagine, Entraps one‟s life The wind screams over the gun how much I dream of you. And doesn‟t let you go tower You will always be Daddy Little As I watch from my stone Boy. I have to admit apartment. I still see your precious smile. Its never the same Silence and sadness, here in brick And your brown eyes, Once she walks away city. sparkle like the sun light. My smile fades away Death and vanity grin at me with I have dreams And the day menace. Seeing you running around the Just isn‟t the same Our anger and temper driving us house, My life loses meaning apart. Not a care in the world. And my world turns Are we too stubborn, or too So full of love to gray ignorant to understand. Yes, Hatred flooded in while you were You will always be Daddy Little Frank Johnson III gone. Boy In Thought… Brotherhood stumbled out to avoid for eternity. …She came quietly: trouble. Disguised as a soft breeze, Colorless dawn has come silently. Ted Eason A warm whisper. The sky brightens alone, without Always As a gentle mist, she slipped into the nose of the sun. I see you... my mind; in everything I enjoy... Vincent Garcia A river would stop its Inside flow if only a stream It‟s a cold world were there to receive we live in due to what I‟ve witnessed during it. where pity has nowhere to land my stay An ocean would never laugh if how can I come inside where it‟s in this nightmarish never-ending clouds weren‟t there to kiss her warm with lights to see? dream. tears. It‟s said that it‟s the devil‟s world I try to wake up The world is not a pleasant place in place we be. but can‟t, no matter how hard I try, to be without someone like you. Not even God lives the pain we and the years roll on Unfinished struggle through, as time passes my by. I build these walls of steal and it‟s said he‟s the almighty, In this sleepless state and stone. but nothing has changed. I‟m forced to endure, My unwanted home It‟s a cold world outside, I encounter many of life‟s rejects – away from home. but I‟m so deep to feel the breeze. the tainted ones, the imperfect and I sit here undone and unfinished, It‟s hard to understand life at impure. but my spirit and strength times. We talk, we fight, we disagree and have never diminished. On how we struggle to live, we learn and we come to Who I am, I can not say, and the cause understand, but who knows, we die for that in this life Tomorrow is a new day. it‟s so twisted, the light of the there is no perfect man. Who guides me, I hope to know world, to see But all in all we are To freedom at home, the beauty of what man does the same to some degree, I hope to go. to corrupt what people don‟t see. we all desire to be all those I‟ve followed the stepping stones in our lives want us to be. Remember Me we speak The father, the brother, the son, Prison‟s no place for an innocent and I‟ve fallen! the lover, hommie and friend, child, I‟ve asked myself over and over But answer me this – no room for the meek, no room again, who are we really in the end? for the mild. what‟s for the people and how The misguided, misunderstood My nights are so lonely, I toss in could I help misjudged and forgotten, my bed, if I can‟t help myself? or are we simply the forbidden My days are so horrid and all What can I gain if I can‟t see or fruit filled with dread. understand left to rot? Grant me this prayer as you did what this world has for me. from the cross, The touch of darkness Tom Stone For that man that knew his life is a touch of a disease Presents from the Dead was a loss. that you can‟t please. The songs reverberate in my head Please come to this prison where I I‟ll stand tall, Slamming doors, still kissing still sit alone, challenge the obstacles that come Sweet slop for every meal Surrounded by darkness, to me. Very lonely-yet never alone concrete and stone. How could I recognize the Lots of calls, no one's home Broken and bruised, forgotten and goodness‟ smile, Today just like yesterday lost where there‟s no light to see. Tomorrow brings timeless sorrow In the ash heap of sorrow in life Where are the stones I climb from Such a waste till the end was I tossed. the inside? Take me God-be a friend There‟s no place left for me on this I‟ve fallen to my knees. Ease my emptiness, my hunger, earth It‟s a cold world I know the regret- I‟ve lived in the shadows since because I‟m in the inside I see. Ringing in my head. the day of my birth. Come to my prison, enter my cell, Ray Charles Gary Dwayne Waterman I don‟t think I‟ll make it out of Forbidden Fruit The World is not a Pleasant Place this hell. From these walls my life has been to Be And if in this life, no home do I changed in ways one wouldn‟t The world is not a pleasant place see, believe, to be without someone to hold or All I ask God is that you be held by. remember me. Santos Pena acknowledgement but also I give Poured forth into a torrent of thick The Coldness I Feel thanks to those who doubted me, red Sit here and lay my thoughts, your hatred is fuel to my flames. Catharsis still warm to the touch, In black and white, The distance has enabled me to nothing flew higher than God To inform the love and hurt that I find the inner strength and Only God flew higher than me carry, ambition that Drives me daily. Only I knew how to fly. Please Dear. Motivated beyond comparison and How long could I have flown Fin the time and space, Driven beyond Belief, A new man Breathing but never having drawn To depart your mind I am, a new spirit built from the a breath Focus and be here with me steel and concrete that surrounds The humors still stagnant in my Life is passing me by. me. Take heed from a dying lungs I crave you with loneliness inside breed, a diamond in the dirt. This is the fate for all those like me. I‟m stuck with a path. Never allow the negative input me, I live a life with action and from the enemy delude your To walk the battlements till decision, future, nor allow the distance to morning. Hurting. defeat you Yielding, I beat my hands at the Waking each morning, … Defy your fate… sky and cried out. Just to see how lonely life is (For all my incarcerated brothers “Am I so far gone that I am not I have hurt your life and mine. and sisters worthy of redemption? These swarm of words you read. He handed me a knife and They are falling silent, with tears, said, Trapped behind bars. “first you must learn to live I cannot continue living this way, without!” I will defeat the beast inside of me, It has cause pain and suffering that Buster Swafford I cause you. House of Steel and Stone I have a burden here in my chest, Can you see me, Crying out loud, In my house of steel and I feel the coldness of something stone? inside me I‟ve a fence around my yard, A connection of empty thoughts But not a white picket one. Blank, Distance makes the heart grow I‟ve broken all the rules, Black as the night, fonder Of things not allowed. I am tensely in pain today Free yourself from within, so you I‟ve stood alone, With the path are empty can In the middle of a road. Except a few dreams Be free in the physical form) Tho‟ there‟s been little That comfort me for awhile. light, Eric Martinez Shaun Morales The world in which I lived had Along this path I climb. The Distance neither day nor night, I‟ve done it all… In the midst of it all I remain The sun continually setting so that My own style-my own sweet time. distant. Distant to the world as we twilight Today I stand alone, know it. The pleasures and, pains Fell over everything in perpetual In a field of dread. both, anticipating my return. For gradation, I‟ e exchanged my soul for shame, those that enjoyed the distance, my Staving away both darkness and And made a prison cell my bed, oh return may disturb your life style, cruel light. can you see me, not that I‟ll intentionally disturb The house I built with kindle In my house of steel and stone? you, but my presence alone will be I left barren, If only you were with me Lord, of one who has over came many Mingled with dust and decay, I wouldn‟t be so alone. obstacles, just as Booker T. To be trodden down by rich Washington has done. When the Victorian feet David Cross judge sentenced me to death the This is where I had come to rest Lost oppressors enjoyed the sacrifice of my head, No matter what road I travel one‟s freedom for another‟s well All I ever had been, My life slowly tends to unravel being. Not only do I thank God All I ever was, All I ever would Crying out for love and friend for his grace and be. Disaster finds me in the end Is he there to hear my Family friends and things I would Born to evil guided by hate cries, or am I worshipping do. A mother‟s love never too late something inferior to this hole in The darkness and pain of my cell Disciple of the darkened night time? Will once again prevail. Refuse to grasp the saving light As my name again was not called Father why have you for mail. Temptation whipping at my heel forsaken me. Misleading me from life‟s wheel Robert Fuentes Struggle and fight to no avail Anwar Tapia Power of Poetry Satan has my ticket to hell Concrete Desert I often wonder It‟s inferno hot If poetry sounds the same Down the road there is no hope In the concrete desert of a man‟s Outside of prison walls; Suffering mistakes how to cope doing. Do the words echo differently Gnashing of teeth cry out in prayer Where I, a convicted Bedouin, In free silence How to escape the demon‟s lair Am banished to roam for years. Than that of dungeon‟s grasp; Sweting my free-will, Do the rhythms In the shadows lie only death Thirsty for liberty, Roll and stop Fight and rage with every breath Dehydrated of autonomy. On their own or on command; To reach the tunnel‟s guiding light Cement dunes lock me in Does the picture drawn All one must do is force their Depression of the mind. fright The carcasses of past convicted Within the syllables of Litter the heated concrete floor. unrestrained thought look the same Maurice Jones Where vultures eat the leftovers as it does A Hole In Time Under the glower of prickly Through steel barred minds; As I hold my head high watchtowers. But most of all trying to hold on to the last shred Mirages of freedom blur the I often wonder of dignity and humanity I posses, I horizon. If the story of words find that the system I have allowed With parched lips of faith, I search Carry the outside world myself to fall under was created to For my oasis, my redemption. As far as they destroy those feelings. Fighting Each carry me. hard with all my strength of my Marcos G. Saias inner soul I hope to uphold and Darkness and loneliness Sketch maintain my sense of being a man. Fill my cell with pain Scars & Bars And fear too great to yell. Will our children sacrifice in time? Caught in a hole where I wait for the mailman to deliver to The love lost, and hate they‟ll time has no place, the aura of me find… negativity seeps through the wall, As I wipe away tears that no one Buried in cold concrete somehow antagonizing me to will see. Carved my name in scars become other than myself. The I pray so sincere with head raised One‟s story complete pressure of constant torment binds above Written behind bars… me to a feeling of being caught in a Please God soon The laws of my life devil‟s cove. Those that have come Send a letter of love. Sentenced me in pain before me and those that will come I long to gaze upon pages so dear So damp and weathered after me are sure to feel the wrath. With wishes to bring my loved Through cuffs and chains… ones near. So bitter, so sad Each day I rise with Words of diamonds on pages of For a life I‟ve never had, thoughts of beauty but by the end gold Through the suffering of each day those thoughts are A message from heaven as their Of family and friends, shredded and torn into thoughts of start is told A man of conviction hate, rage and revenge. We love you , we miss you, Is where it ends… We pray you‟ll be free I often bow my head and A treasured filled envelope just for Travis Standlee fall to my knees asking my me. A Prisoner's Haiku of Realization heavenly father to have mercy on Please bring me memories of joy I Sitting here inside me. once knew These walls, uncompromising I am truly free Preston Asss Smith Song….” Hello, Insurent I greet urgings you with bring Peace atropean and kind thoughts. Wisdom will protect you from the purgines May your life always greet you ways of wicked men; When preened thru the mess media in a very Pleasant Manner. From those who'd make you leave Of mass kommunikations May each day a path that's straight. gurglines that you encounter in life It also can prevent those who Wear yath are waylaid buy their bring you Comfort, and Happiness. delight in doing wrong buglarings Life is full of New Experiences. From facing an insufferable fate. Burgeoning beds keep us at Home Each day is a Learning Process for When abroad us. What If... Where temptress heads least May every choice Some believe it was Eve who went burning our breads that you make in life bad, Athe quintessence we sown be well thought of But what if the whole world's been Keep us applaud… and beneficial to you. had? Rigor mortistones w/kiffs, Who we are today What if all of the hype's Pseudo-pancs a koffin comes from the choices Just misogynist tripe? Try to doodoo our brains that we made yesterday, Wouldn't that make a lot of folks To make us soften, and who we will be tomorrow mad? Disguard our integrity comes from the choices On Creation A hate self often; that we make today. People praise the creation of Man. Yet w.e. keep it growing, Life is a long journey And yet science does all that it can When others are throwing-like a and we engage in so much around To prove that we all sprang frizzbee us. From a cosmic Big Bang, w/return to bender Let‟s ride down the best road Which some now claim was really like a moudr n@*@*r that we know is there for us, God's plan. YA‟LL KNOW WHAT I‟M and put our life in the best position TALKIN BOUT! that we know it deserves to be in. Don Collins GO ON & TESTIFIRE! Let‟s reach forward and make our THE NEXT DAY Lime iz of the earth az the reality At first it seems the world, Pyramids spoke full of Beauty, Glory, and Serenity, is crushing down on you.... Yet it was churned to projects that and most of all – Satisfaction. misled us broke, May you always thrive on Pride, Thru those long stressful days, Compelled sum to toot $toke Ambitions, Consideration, it seems they last forever.... From dusk to dawn while planting Commitments, knees Hope, Confidence, and Your strength is a test of wisdom, In the sandkrab barrel wile pixxing Understanding, and what will-power you have.... the hallway Dignity, Morality, and Good For the trees… Principles, Only in time things will reverse, The Ancestors say, “Up You Love, Pure Motives, and a Pure and best of days are coming.... Magus Negus” Heart. “Freedom is a must!” This will cause us to be Like a scenic volcano erupting, You shall arize children of lites all that we can be Don‟t expect it to go away.... krust just as the sun moon star in this consuming, crazy, Your life is to forever live, daykake and unpredictable world. So be ready for a better day Fore the pains that blind Let‟s push forward Kar also make we see and make our dreams come true Thee Gracious Poet Azp‟hull chains bind with much appreciation ARE W.E. WHO KNOW YOU Taint your nuestory w/a misstory. of touching our destination. Pipe dream b;kome pure scenes So hears a lil‟ closure: When seen thru mesh filled The Drum iz a redemption gong, William Chaplar screams; Tubal iz the giver of living song. Wisdom Protects Like Melvin said with his “Baaad The kross iz the bloody deafroad, Woman iz the motherlode Mentality Labels and judgments shall divide. Loveiz the karrier of the most hieh, Pulverize niggardly ways & means Children be the justice to kiss the Emancipate niggardly anesthesia There is a bridge you could sky. themes traverse, Man be the substance of the all- Ascend niggardly drama skemes & Beware; your verdict may be eye-seer, plays reversed When it all komes together, Crush niggardly thought knaves & And what you thought you knew- kulture in rootsiz how get freer. knaves inversed! SELAH. Eradikate niggardly word slaves.. The world is an integrated Let the dead sleep w/.the dead composition, I MAN I I-DICTATE Secret the living w/the living! a whole by uniting parts was the 4skore the sin borrowers & pin vision followers Brian Webster a universe of created equals in Who like to drag unkreased pants This Chain juxtaposition. Mean-mug & raag sag All my life Yet a people unique, diversified- w/they burnin fag out the lip.. I‟ve heard it said No longer separated by terms that 4skore the krook whose living ah That “every dog has its day” classified lie With similarity in experiences, we Az But this poor hound are unified. ah rook Has never found it Plaing big Ever to be that way Duane Butler baller Forgiveness 30 piece of I‟ve been caught and Mend for me my broken soul, goal bound Fill for me my empty bowl. paperbrawler Placed in the pound Sing to me of your saving grace, & all the Tethered fast to this Show to me thy angels face. while they just chain Spread for me your chosen path ah krawler… Spare of me your vengeful wrath. 4skore the They no moral dilemma Wash for me away my sins, gangeter thug Of euthanasia This heart of mine for me please chetkolony No melancholy mend. pranksta For my pain Whose And for you my lord I give my larceny over Through all life‟s life, intelligence struggles To right the wrong, and end the Professes their belligerence From on high…I fell strife, While proklamating,”I‟m a mane , I never lost spirit I‟ll lift my voice in praise of you, mane.. Never tucked my tail And let your light come shining 4skore be-linches half a men through. pseudowenthes But they bid me to live Clear the darkness from my heart, Whose street reputation iz jumpin In this well oiled machine I‟ll carry my load and do my part. Kastle on park benches Like some piston, gear or cog All of this I ask of thee Deceiving thy Brother & Sister So it should never be said Your humble servant on bended While in your eye iz ah herpe “Every dog has its day” knee. blister… But that “Every day has its dog” 4skore the aggravator stankin Dave Gordon kontemptor Sheena King A Nut Like Me Hoze adultous daze Knowing our Communities and A lonely nut fell from a tree Keep them hemmed in Ourselves Whose trunk was twisted and torn Kan‟t find exit from misery haze You have your way, I have mine Her branches yellowed very few & sandkrabbing the devil‟s den… Stereotypical thought confine. leaves 4 you A>B>E> lite student Our lives are different. Let To protect her young acorn Who need to get eminent dome-ain differences define. Engage self knowledge & be kome Separate worlds-don‟t coincide Without any help, with no father prudent.. They should not meet, never around, It‟s t.i.m.e. we desert the niggardly collide Without any clue what to be, The little lone nut sunk a root in His arms were soon filled with “Life came from a nut just like the ground God‟s creatures me!” Then began his new life as a tree He counted them all as his own Then in the surprise of his nature I hope that you all grasp my He saw his old twisted mother He started to drop new acorns meaning And how she had grown all alone It‟s whispering through all of my He made the choice to discover Young trees all around him soon leaves How to live a new life of his own For this poem that you‟ve just been reading But each time that he spread out Came from a man who began like new leaves this tree In this wind and the rain and the sun So reach into yourself and discover The insects and birds and A truth that I know you will see bumbling bees That all of us really are brothers Would steal them everyone Since we‟re nuts from the same family tree This caused him lots of anger For what right did they have to his Torrance Maddox leaves Untitled But then he saw the great danger Hardships befall all, success is the That topples the greatest of trees word that‟s spoken You should hold your head high For trees they were created and stand tall. To shelter and feed smaller things With the partnership of body and Because they all are related mind, anyone can overcome Through the life that each creature Achieve and hurdle barriers. Block brings sprouted of time. Growing safely up under his shade Reach out and clasp, grasp a fallen The insects keep the trees nice and So proud of their father they man‟s last touch clean shouted, For this is the key to humanity. As the birds sing out songs from “Hey look at the family dad Love through a gesture as such. their nests made!” The bumbling bees build their Jose Heladio Villarreal III hives in these trees It didn‟t take long for these trees to Cycle of Time Because to them a tree house is grow strong Born in a web without properties best Under the shelter of their father‟s of silk or fabric, yet as complex as strong limbs feathering of an Aztec headdress. It‟s the best place to have For when these trees grew, the Graced with the fiery recreation plain they once knew spirit, cast iron endurance and And the best place to lay safe in Was a forest of trees thanks to him conscience to address. bed A bronze embryo, then It‟s the best place to see God‟s The bees had increase their infant warrior who upon time will creation number flourish as the Mexican empire When the storms of life pass As the baby birds sang from their once did throughout the valley of overhead nests Mexico. The insects had no time for Devouring all erudition So the tree all alone felt great slumber with the appetite of a Jaguar knight sorrow For the birds and the bees made a in his quest for betterment and self For that dry arid plain made him mess determination for the people, for grieve books are his vehicle. He envisioned a brighter tomorrow So deep in this dark wooded forest Heartfelt engagements and Then spread out his arms full of Surrounded by his family brutality of the baton will mold his leaves Stands a happy old tree who laughs character. out in glee The cannonade will create a resistance, a thick callous as tempered steel which will enable Che's reward is a cement coffin draw nigh o-lord, draw nigh.... him to shine as leader of the up at Pelican Bay, the boogeymen Unto me. people. get those worth talking, in time, The lingering of fresh blacks and latinos are minorities cordite in the streets of Aztlan are everywhere but here, while world Leslie Amison but screaming alarms from inside of a six-foot shelf space Thanksgiving Dishwasher chicomostoc, the first barrio of the name of the game is control, Old woman Aztlan sent to these neocolonies everyone novice except the beast you should be reclining we now call home. And the (him! Challenge to wants one no) on the beaches of Florida. beautiful quetzal bird that gives us that's as backwards as searching How were you beached here? hope with its melodious song sang for revolt among the happy dead. Husband sick? throughout the jungle kingdom, Die before his time? from the tops of the highest Ryan Collier pyramids to the lowland mountain Unto Me At least trails, the sharp cry of the quetzal Tonight I cry... the waitresses are polite to you. rips through the silence of the Yes... The teardrops wash my face No one lends a hand though. valley floor only to echo from the I'm downcast and ashamed I am tempted to = To get off my deepest canyons. lord, cover me with grace. fat ass From the farthest smelling and stoop the way you stoop earth to the concrete and steel Joy comes in the morning... and haul off those pits of dishes. cages, this is our cycle of time. oh tonight.... Are we a people filled only its getting late. with the temptation to do good? Greg Shattack I need a blessing now.... Time hasn't been gentle with you Yesterday, Today, + Tomorrow either/ The past? It's dead and stinking Though, behind those ample There‟s nothing left but thinking wrinkles That‟s long come to an end I can imagine trying To never be again to pick you up some 40 years ago. How is it, you don't even curse The Future? an illusion us under your breath? Realities grave intrusion Brought up the way my parents to keep you in the “then” were? a time that‟s never been Work hard. Go to church. Finally to heaven. This moments all that‟s real None of those admonitions ever To see and hear and feel got me off my ass. so live your life today tomorrow, come what may Still we have something in common. Michael Owens POVERTY. Sentrise A Gusto Con Los Muertos And, when I dust off my economic Awkward kinds of life play out lord how long must I wait. history books, in the machine, teeth mark steel the ones no one reads anymore, etch a footnote to Achebe's last You're my only confidence I can see people joining us years warning, things fall apart like in you is my reward... hence. antebellum afterbirth in the USA you're all the hope The 'new economics' is the “old grinds bones dull then penalizes that I have left... inflation.” their collapse, novocaine spirit You're all I can afford. With a statement like that, you can does not mind the sting of face guess, down, obedience to that singular Attend to me... I'm known as a crank = Not your taste: boot leathers and waffle and hear my cries type really. soles, better to disappear than mend my heart... But, there's a minority dusting off be next disappeared, that seems and dry my eyes... those old books to be more common excuse and that say = You are a part of the the catacombs ain't even 1/2 full, your comforts I do not despise.... result. that‟s the sad, inevitable truth my broken heart's last sigh.... Ben Winter Success to be earned and If kropsometer‟s mood dominates Glorious Well-deserved rhyme…depression unappealing; It‟s as if I wish to The rolling stone not so hard When you add up the letters of Stave off the future with words That I cannot bleed, my your name and answer to the If I can somehow construct Throbbing heart still humming number of the same meaning Your name as I traverse -it is probably time. From scattered fragments and The Lunar Sea. phrases When clocks tick only inside your I just may be able to change the Robert Hambrick head… not losing, outcome Going Away but already lost; The horrid unknown reshaped When wondering If breathing Between the hammer of will rabbits worry of brings you only And the anvil of circumstance missing dread… and disappointments… comes the Each word born into the white and chessmen terminal frost; world scream curses When home‟s Is hurled in the face of time cruelly; throne becomes In hopes of stemming the tide If flamingos replace cold stone- readied mallets… Then it is With a mighty effort the and hat men become time. Offspring of my mind unruly; Wrestle with disaster and ruin When sightless When love is but On my behalf sound and soundless a mourned Desperately seeking to form a sight prompt memory… and future colorless, toneless touch renders no Yet unseen flight- feeling; Then it If mirrors show And who knows could be time. only what you hide… and the I just may be able to build a world soul‟s wound has no healing; And a future with these words When men bow to noble horses… When you shout but no one hears, Better suited to what I deserve and ships sail amongst the clouds; and you‟ve finally drained of tears- So close to what I desire If dragons now become It is time. men‟s friends… as trolls gather in Jason Forbes loud crowds; Time to go… Lunar Sea When singing eggmen fear walrus Unless you‟ve already Aspiring to be, I look forward and wren- gone. And up, onward across the It might be time. Lunar sea, within grasp my C.F. Christian Motivation –filled cup, When windmills become terrible Paths of Learning I‟ll surrender not to the bleak giants… and the sun shines as you Truth walks towards us, And brackish past sleep; On the paths of our questions. The old mask is split and If raving ravens cry “Never As soon as you think Behind me cast, more”…. And there‟s laughter as You have the answer, For---driven, ahead pressing you weep; The path closes… Fast When thoughts are circles without And you miss Outcast but, not outclassed, rims, and demons sing holy Vital new information Nor defeated. hymns- Not saddened or weakened by It may be time. Wait in stillness Gestures for past deeds treated. Do not rush to conclusions. The suffering has ended When forests become a maze of No matter how uncomfortable And now a force with which to steel … and the sky becomes a The unknowing may be Be contended, a tardy bloom ceiling; Keep you path of learning Rendered and preserved, a Open!

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS! Robert Bailey GX9022 Ted Eason 1265238 PO Box 256 Ferguson Unit 12120 Savage Drive Waymart, PA 18472-0256 Midway TX 75852 “I am a student of life and human nature also a practitioner of Zen.” "I love the mountains, majestic full of life and beauty, they restore the soul."

Eric Bederson P84676 C.F. aka Sketch HS-0852 CMF PO Box 2000 PO Box 244 Vacaville, CA 95696-2000 Graterford PA 19426-0244 "What is important about me is everybody loves me, and my modesty." “My dream is to … hopefully inspire others to express themselves and maybe change the way people look at life.” John Bodessa 1213403 Mark W. Stiles Unit Jesus Fonseca V-12630 3060 FM 3514 CA State-Corcoran PO Box 3481 Beaumont, TX 77705 Corcoran, CA 93212 "...To have a sense of where we are going and how to live we must first know Duane Butler 1256670 where we some from Wynne Unit B1-4-14 1697 FM 980 Huntsville, TX 77349 Jason Forbes FG-4445 "I'm an awesome cook and an ordained minister" 301 Morea Road Frackville PA 17932 “A sprout from manure, slow to bloom am I.” J Cameron 1389440 Stringfellow Unit 1200 FM 655 Robert Fryer 113576 Rosharon, TX 77583 S.C.R.C.R. 1420 Industrial Park Rd “My aspiration is to mature into a Godly husband and father.” Wiggins MS 39577 “Life is too short to waste, so I live and love like every day is my last.” William Chaplar 653141 Rufe Jordan Unit 1992 Helton Road Robert Fuentes C88749 Pampa, TX 79065-9696 D-5-104 PO Box 7500 "Everything inspires me to write what I write." Crescent City CA 95531 "I am an individual who looks forward to my yesterdays while enjoying the John E. Christ 734270 bridge of today." 3 Jester Road Richmond, TX 77406-8544 Curt Gambill 805886 "I am a modern man with open eyes and mind." Eastham Unit 2665 Prison Rd 1 Lovelady TX 75851 C.F. Christian B-66387 “I have a fierce drive to improve. To better myself. And not allow this place Salinas Valley State Prison A5-236 PO Box 1050 or the past to define the person I am today.” Soledad, CA 93960 "I am a people watcher, I watch the world unfold..." Vincente Garcia T-11742 CCT 4B6B107 PO Box 1902 Tehachpi CA 93581 Ryan Collier 1291854 "I would like to learn different languages, and Sign Language." Allred Unit 2101 FM 369 N Iowa Park, TX 76367 Ray Charles Gary 726247 "I'm finally a friend a friend would like to have" Stiles Unit 3060 FM 3514 Beasumont, TX 77705 Don Collins R-58382 "I've traveled a lot in my life and have had the pleasure of encountering Dixon Correctional 2600 N. Brinton Av different nationalities..." Dixon, IL 61021 " For there is one thing that we do not give up, that is the power of thought James Glaze 807549 and aspirations." 1697 FM 980 Huntsville TX 77343 "I would describe myself as a caring and intelligent person." B.C. aka Ben Winter V03536 2-B-226 PO Box 715071 David Gordon 877573 Represa, CA 95671 Telford Unit 3899 SH 98 “I am more than my crime, my C.D.C. file, my CDC# …” New Boston TX 75570 “I make things that come alive-like, pop-up books and short stories.” David Cross 637203 McConnell Unit 3001 S Emily Dr Robert Hambrick 1425470 Beeville, TX 78102 Allred Unit 2101 FM 369 N "I try to look for the best in all things" Iowa Park TX 76367 "In my early 20's I spent 8 months hitch-hiking around the states, met many Robert Deninno E82542 good people and had great adventures." PO Box 7500 C9-212 Crescent City, CA 95532 Tim Hampton 852404 "I would describe myself as young at heart without being immature" Wynne Unit Huntsville TX 77349 ""My mood sets my mind. And my fingers proceed with action." Steve Dennis 0702341291 6F4 9500 Etiwanda Ave Doug Harris 1366383 Rancho Cucamonga. CA 91739-9662 Smith Unit High Security 1313 Country Road 19 “Life inspires me! My experiences are uniquely mine, and they are all I have Lamesa TX 79331-1898 to offer.” "According to my ex-wife, I'm the king of smart a**es!"

Jose DiLenola 96B1343 Frank D. Johnson III 1485979 I-33 POBox 148 3 Jester Rd Richmond TX 77406 Attica, NY 14011 “But my greatest inspiration came from my mother- Elvina Levy Johnson.”

Maurice Jones 90A2975 Felix Rodriguez 1525427 Southport Correctional Facility PO Box 2000 Dolph Briscoe Unit 1459 W Hwy 85 Dilley TX 78017 Pine City NY 14871-2000 “Reformed, compassionate, loyal, kind, forgiving, wise in heart yet humble.” “[I have] the ability to laugh at myself and love life in spite of my unfortunate circumstances” Jason Salas 663036 Allred Unit 21010 FM 369 N Sheena King OC2312 Iowa Park TX 76367 PO Box 180Muncy PA 1775 “I write because it is my exhale and sometimes it is the exhale of others …” Greg Shattuck 1342447 3899 State Hwy 98 S New Boston TX 75570 Chad Lawson 722204 “I started writing poetry because I‟ve always enjoyed the challenge of new Estelle Unit 264 FM 3478 creative mediums.” Huntsville TX 77320-3322 "[I will] keep my head up and keep trying 'til I achieve what I need to do ..." Preston Smith 04103000 Federal Correctional Complex Bill Lively 1559654 PO Box 24550 Allred Unit 2101 FM 369 North Tucson AZ 85734 Iowa Park TX 76367 “I like to dance in thunderstorms.” Jackey Sollars 646400 Stiles Unit 19-4-1010 Chris Lockridge 1357176 3060 FM 3514 Beaumont TX 77705 1697 FM 980 Huntsville TX 77343 “I can click a heel in a disco as easily as I can scoot a boot in a honky tonk.” "I am inherently an adventurer, a conqueror and a thrill seeker." Travis Standlee 1241041 Torrence Maddox 1461876 BMCC C-22-T 8500 North FM 3053 McConnell Unit 3001 S. Emily Beeville TX 78102 Overton TX 75684 “If it was up to meit would rain 355 days of the year.” “I‟m a tiny cog in the machine. But we all have our parts to play.”

Eric Martinez 1588185 Tom Stone 670145 Lopez State Jail 1203 El Cibolo Rd South Bay Facility A3-105L PO Box 7171 Edinburg TX 78542 South Bay FL 33493 " I am a classically trained opera singer." “Moral of my story don‟t rob banks.”

James Meier 634089 Anson Stowers 510105 Stiles Unit 3060 FM 3514 19-X-01 Estelle Unit High Security 264 FM 3478 Rd Beaumont TX 77705-7635 Huntsville TX 77320 "My inspiration comes from my desire to entertain." ""I also like to draw and have a passion for good books."

William Miles 666895 Clarence Swafford 1205928 Estelle Unit 12D 264 FM 3478 Allred Unit 2101 FM 369 N. Huntsville TX 77320-3323 Iowa Park TX 76367 "Inspiration: desire to vent. to live to paint with words. to enlighten." "Studying American culture inspires me a great deal!"

Shaun Morales B03747 Anwwar Tapia 1071564 Santa Rosa Correctional- E 5850 East Milton Rd Robertson Unit 12071 FM 3522 Milton FL 32583"Learning from life's lessons, embracing growth is what Abilene TX 79601 inspires me to write from a personal point of view." Lucio Urenda 710403 A.N. aka Thee Gracious Poet 899 FM 632 CY Unit Kenedy TX 78119 Upstate S.C.U.P. 9C2#30T309 “[I‟ve learned] that no matter what life puts in front of me I can overcome the Bare Hill Road Malone NY 12953-2001 obstacle… with a little patience and determination.” “The most important things about me: ability to kompartmentalize. Eye am not above reproach. Eye am magnanimous.” Joe Villarreal 589341 Wynne Unit Joe ONeal H02120 Huntsville TX 77349 PBSP D9-104 PO Box 7500 Crescent City CA 95533 Paul Wasburn 478312 "I love to smile :); it's infectious." Estelle Unit 264 FM 3478 Huntsville TX 77320 Santos Pena 1187353 "I believe everyone has the right to be you..." Briscoe Unit 1459 West Hwy 85 Dilley TX 78017 “Wisdom and strength have inspired me to be a staunch person.” Dwayne Waterman 1240913 Michael Unit 2664 FM 2054 Albert Pena 132360 Tennessee Colony TX 75886 Eastham Unit 2665 Prison Road # 1 Lovelady TX 75851 Bryan Webster 1295022 "My dreams are to find someone and get married, work on a book to publish Connally Unit 19-W-002 899 FM 632 all my work." Kenedy TX 78119 “I only read non-fiction and I‟m a sucker for Dachshunds.” Gerald B. Prisock 730014 Rufe Jordan Unit 1992 Helron Rd Lysander White 1382020 Pampa TX 79065-9655 3060 FM 3514 Beaumont TX 77705-7635 "I hate okra in all forms! I am a rabid chocoholic!" “When I write a poem, each carries its own type of passion.”

Eric Remerowski 1145256 Huero Williams D16748 Clements Unit 9601 Spur 591 CSATF/State Prison E1-143 PO Box 5242 Amarillo TX 79107 Corcoran CA 93212 “….prison can be an opportunity for much spiritual growth…” CTA/Durland Non Profit

Alternatives Library Organization 127 Anabel Taylor Hall U.S. Postage Paid Ithaca, NY 14853-1001 Permit 448 www.prisonerexpress.org Ithaca, NY 14850

 Prisoner Express promotes rehabilitation by providing information, education and opportunities for creative self expression to incarcerated individuals throughout the United States. Anthology free to prisoners. All others please contact Prisoner Express for rates. All proceeds are used to fund programming. The Durland Alternatives Library which finds Prisoner Express, is a project partner of the Center for Transformative Action. Additional Support comes from the Cornell Public Service Center and the Office of Minority Affairs at Cornell University. 