This is Larry Stromberg, SCI-Phoenix in Pennsylvania. And, this is a redraft of my poem called “Penitentiary Theater,” which will be published with PEN America, the Zen Remnants, Remnants of You. So, this is “Penitentiary Theater.”
Penitentiary Theater
Praise are my psalms sung on the God, someone once told me.
Stories stage to bless the condemned.
Written page of accountability or freedom coming to life.
The torture of deliverance or chaos.
FReeing the hopeless for just a few, short hours.
We are all actors behind the razor wire and concrete walls of condemnation.
Moment by moment.
One scene at a time.
I feel alive portraying these roles of realism.
The struggles of the confined.
This is where my redemption dwells.
A purpose revealed to this mass population,
A dedicated legacy defined.
Prison theatrical dreams fulfilled.
Standing ovation.
The curtain closes.
The cage remains.
Larry Stromberg, that was my poem “Penitentiary Theater.” Thank you.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
