Shouting!
Yelling!
Cursing!
"Listen to me, you . . . "
They say,
"We'll tell you what it's like
Here in prison!"
And kids listen.
Some of them smile
(Because they're scared)
When they hear
Tales of
Horror.
I listen
To the rough voices,
And I watch
The people
Who own the voices.
I hear
And I see
A kind of beauty;
Men begging boys
To be good
Before it's too late;
Men struggling
To give to others
What they are afraid
They have lost --
FREEDOM.
I'm supposed to see
Criminals.
I see
Kindness.
I will help
If I can,
And hope that
God will help
All of us.
