Hello, everybody, Steven Nicholson again in Jackson, Michigan. Two poems for you. This one is called “Broken Growth.” It is a letter—a prompt of a letter to my future self. As always, help support prisonradio.org. What they’re doing is great. Support PCAP, Prison Creative Arts Program, University of Michigan. This poem is “Broken Growth.”
Ey, yo, you made it out.
Your dad is gone.
You still have your uncle Tom.
Yeah, dad was Tom, too.
Well, he is Tom One to you.
But Uncle Tom is cool too.
We still got Mitch and Uncle Larry, too,
When we get that itch
For a dad experience.
You gave your penance
And got ghost of that life sentence.
Man, what a beautiful existence.
Thank you, Jesus.
Don’t forget this—
Your thankfulness while confined
Not only helped you to do your time
But outlined God-ordained confines
For your current timeline.
Be ready for divine and sublime miraculous times,
Glorifying our Father on high.
Let your persistence fly high
In the face of man-made life,
Which puts heavy weight
On the hurting already under life’s strife.
That is called “Broken Growth.” This next poem was prompted by some questions at, “Where have your feet already walked? What places have your feet been in?” And so I start this poem called “Exposed Tootsies.” I start this poem like this.
My feet have already walked on coals
Due to loss of souls close to my soul.
Visionary dreams as a nine-year-old
That made me jolt as I woke,
And I was soaked in tears,
Sweated out all my fears.
But like a haunting—
The reality of said nightmares
Has stayed there until the zombie-mares
Ran like mares into my beautiful existence.
And now my kids ain’t there
As if they disappeared.
But they up there in Jesus’ care.
I get letters saying, “Wish you were here.”
I wish I was there,
But I got too much to do here.
So, I keep trucking on,
And I dare evil entities
To even think to be my enemies.
I call that “Exposed Tootsies.”
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
