-
[Poem]Stepping Out of the Bubble
A tornado of thoughts decimate my calmlike a plague of locusts creating indiscriminate harm.There’s no solid ground, there’s no place to rest.I cannot describe the terror of this brutal test. Of my resilience and might, of my mental strengthto get through each day, to hurdle over every fence.I could collapse in a heap and plenty…
-
My way
Was in Frank Sinatra who sang “My Way”? Whoever it was must have been talking about prisoners because, oh my word, prisoners like things to be done their way. Let me explain what I mean. I have seen so many examples of people thinking that something should be done in a particular way and I…
-
I’ve just been trapped!
I really, really dislike talking to people about their convictions or trial. I go out of my way to avoid it and normally I manage to distance myself from it. However, this morning I was caught and was well and truly trapped. This is how the conversations go: “I’ve been told by [lawyer/social worker/friend/etc etc]…
-
Prison is a grotty place to be ill.
I have Man Flu, full on Man Flu. On the outside, this is a serious affliction but in prison it takes on a whole new level of gravity. I reckon prison is a truly grotty place to be ill. Now, of course, I am being somewhat jovial about my current bout of man flu (serious…
-
I am in prison but am I imprisoned?
For a long time, I’ve been considering the notion of freedom. I’ve used the word “notion” because it now seems clear to me that there is a belief in freedom as oppose to actually being free. This morning, whilst I’m sitting here in my prison cell, I thought I’d write about freedom. one of the…
-
Spring is in the air.
The sun is out today and it’s the first time this year I’ve truly noticed it. Sometimes it seems like the rays of the sun don’t actually ever reach prison but today it’s obvious that of course they do. Access to nature is one of the many things of which we have been deprived so…
-
Parents of prisoners.
Tomorrow is Mothering Sunday and it seems appropriate for me to consider what it must be like to be a parent of someone held in prison. It’s also a good time to write about how important it is to get support from parents whilst in jail. A quick note while I think of it, in…
-
What really goes on in prison showers?
If there is one location in the prison which is regarded as “iconic”, it would be the showers. I’m sure most people on the outside have some sort of mental image of what happens in jail showers. Today I will share with you my experience of what really goes on in prison showers. It’s worth…
-
Creativity – the saviour of the imprisoned?
I can’t really put into words how difficult I’m finding prison. Even though I like writing these articles, I do get frustrated that I can’t properly communicate the extremes of emotions that I experience. Words themselves seem surprisingly useless sometimes and this is why I, and many other prisoners, seek refuge in creativity. I truly…
-
What prison gyms are really like.
Prison gyms – the setting for many of the scenes in prison-based films and TV programmes. Rough, tough, mean but is the reality really all that rough, tough and mean? As a general rule, everywhere in prison is overflowing with sadness and despair. Sure, there are pockets of positivity – for example the guys with…
-
[Poem]Survive the Fog
This thick fog drifts over methreatening to engulf and overwhelm.It’s tough, so tough, to peer through it.That’s why so many don’t even try. But, like a lighthouse’s lonely labouring,I resolutely refuse to relent.I will not succumb to the temptationto drown in the fog of despair. I do see the distant murky outlinesof what my soul…
-
[Poem]An Individual
Should I wonder where the winds of society lead me?It would feel easier. Some people do that.Other people, that is, because that isn’t me.So what if people think conforming is “a good thing”? Maybe I’m different because I’ve become untainted.I have taken the opportunityto observe and now I understand the truthalthough I know I risk…