Forward By Christopher

I pause a moment to take in those around me. Old souls whose faces carry deep lines etched by the hand of time. Within this sea of humans are the young and agile moving about without a care or a worry, their sentence a mere inconvenience in their lives.

Most of the time it’s the young crowd that gets to go home. Released through the ever spinning door of incarceration, but truly not free. They will return. Back as a statistic for time has wizened me to this fact.

What is it like for the older prisoner to go home? That’s a loaded question. For the “Old School” home often doesn’t exist anymore. At least, the memory of what was doesn’t, but sometimes it’s literal.

I haven’t had the opportunity to experience the excitement of a pending release, so I don’t truly know. I do, however, know those that have and those that will. They are the blessed. Blessed by definite sentencing laws birthed from the failed experiment of tough on crime, policies some 30 years ago. Your release date is guaranteed, known the moment you arrive to prison.

But, that’s a discussion for another time. Today, it’s about the wise ones, educated through the college of time having detoured into the criminal justice system.

Today they go home.

Christopher

Six Months
By T. Brozell, Sr.
As my time winds down, there are many mixed emotions. My address where I once lived for 15 years is history now, and yes, I’ve taken a huge loss. Everything is gone except my spirit, motivation, and God above…

Six months to go (God willing) back to responsibility, respect, reserve, repress without reprimand or reproach, almost in that order. What does the world hold for me now? Why, you wonder, do I ask?

Well, being locked down takes away a lot even the smallest things in life, but much bigger stuff, too. Like your children growing up fast without dad and that’s so painful. You lose sleep, there’s stress, all the while trying to keep the peace in prison within yourself. It’s not just the inmates, but staff can be a burden if you let them.

I’ve been down 19 months now with no tickets or write ups and that’s a miracle, but it shows what happens when people “want to change” (I quote) and really work on something. I am grateful and thankful by grace, hitting sixty (60) hard in June (God willing).

There are times I asked myself, “How did you do it?” or maybe, “Still doing it.”

Praying was the key…

Fenced In
By T. Brozell, Sr. (OH)

Looking through an hour glass as time waits on no one. Keeping hopes alive how I wish to be done…

Another sunset centered
into view, stars arise;
counting them by two.

Season’s changed the outside is
alive and above but beyond, to
close but far, far, away almost
touching like feathers floating in
the breeze of reality.
Tick-tock time moved inch by inch
by my clock, another day drifted by.

Telling Stories
By T. Brozell, Sr. (OH)
It’s all about the inside out
deep into lives of whatever changes
came about…
With a source of fresh
air the wheels kept rolling
not stopping for any reason
unknown even happiness but
taking chances to steer what’s
right.
That long road ahead will eventually shorten
as we better the situations and obstacles
that stand tall with power of human beings
so we may pull the plug and go.
By T. Brozell, Sr. (OH)

*My book of poetry will be coming soon, titled “Never Ending Poetry”.
By T. Brozell, Sr.

*I created Lettersfromchristopher in 2019 to draw attention to the plight of America’s incarcerated. Please, submit a comment if your heart moves you. Your thoughts and words are refreshing wells of relief, and the writers of this blog express gratitude for your kindness.

Be sure to see the newly updated “About Christopher” page for bios of ongoing contributing writers to this blog.

Christop