Out of Order
First and foremost I must confess
Lately I’ve been slightly stressed
Doubtful, confused and unsure
Of how much more pain I can endure
Due to an odd capacity of empathy
Confinement is slowly killing me
Pardon me for sounding like a slave
Preparing for an early grave
But without liberty there’s no stability
Clear consciousness and low morality
When a man’s mobility is consistently denied
Serious damage is done deep inside
Everyday I’m crushed by grief
Despair and frustration beyond belief
Consumed by anguish of sisters and brothers
Detached from families and broken hearted mothers
Extremely displeased I am to see
My people victimized by captivity
This man made hell is traumatizing
Hostile, degrading and dehumanizing
Mass incarceration is an evil conspiracy
Viciously attacking Blacks and minorities
Prison officials are cruel and rude
Arrogant, disrespectful with nasty attitudes
Those with life sentences have no chance
To improve or reverse their circumstance
Others dealing with mental issues
Are often manipulated and abused
Thrown into units of isolation
Torture chambers hidden from population
Society thinks prisoners live well
But two people share an 8 x 5 cell
No space and poor ventilation
Easily causing a health situation
That’s only a few of the problems
I’m sure it’ll take time to solve them
But let us look at the devastation
Of mass incarceration in this racist nation
Write to Jazz the Poet:
Wilbert Saunders #67277066
Federal Correctional Institution McKean
P.O. Box 8000
Bradford, PA 16701