Hi. This is Larry Stromberg and I’m incarcerated at SCI Phoenix, and I’m gonna do a poem called Drowning.
Drowning
It’s a hell of a thing when you can’t breathe anymore.
Think about George Floyd when he was murdered.
That’s how Grandfather must have felt on the day he went under the Delaware River.
I never met the man. He died before I was born.
Mother told me all about him and his story.
It feels like I’ve known this man all of my life.
His vessel capsized, and deadly currents dragged him down.
When they pulled his bloated corpse with only his boxers on three days later,
It was evident: Grandpa fought for every breath.
Training methods used from the U.S. Navy,
Using clothing as life-saving flotation devices to no avail.
The currents were too powerful. He didn’t breathe anymore.
Maybe being incarcerated or a life sentence is almost the same thing:
Trying to survive, floating to stay alive,
Dreaming for a second chance, Fighting for every breath
Anxiety, confusion, panic, drowning but still conscious,
Riding the currents ’til you can’t breathe anymore.
That was Drowning. This is Larry Stromberg, SCI Phoenix. Thank you and God bless you all.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.