mybrother

So this is my brothers 2nd time in prison stemming from charges related to drug use. What do u think he is trying to say in this poem? Is he trying to say he is living as a punk in prison. FYI: both times he has been prison he has ended up in the hole for months at a time, supposedly for different reasons but I think he goes in there for protection. Anyhow, what do u think?

Surrounded by jokers with a button they call man down
Shut the hell up boy, don't dare make a sound
Get out of the window says the man that makes the rounds
Or else stomped by all ten of them clowns

Grew up being bullied, trying hard not to show it
They can't stand the fact that most of us know it
That if a man was a whistle, most of them blow it
Like it or not, only real men can grow it

Can't look self in mirror, living life as a punk
Just a shadow of the men who fill most of your bunks
Living life soft as charming, now who would of thunk
That if being tough was intoxicating, you'd never be drunk

Better 4 you we met in here and not on the streets
Cuz instead of me and your boots, you an my Nikes would meet
In a mans throne you can't even fill the seat
While I, standing in the kitchen cooking & your running from the heat

One more bit of info., I found this slip of paper from his last time in prison and it was a disciplinary sheet saying my brother refused to leave the hole.

Thanks for your comments.

incitingsilence

It seems to be about the masks worn and the facades portrayed and the line where there is a truth that would love to be shown, yet can’t be because of the bars being in the way. Each side of the bars has it’s own persona, not necessarily the truth based on which side of the bars you are on.

The hole is, whatever he makes it. An disciplinary sheet for not wanting to leave would suggest that he may find solace there. But then maybe he feels he deserves to be there as well. It even could be both depending on how he feels about himself in the moment.

I suggest 2 things, one don’t try to interpret his poetry. This is his way of making sense of his life, the present and past.

And you know he has some time on his hands. Can you send him a package? If so maybe get him a book on poetry writing exercises. It will be a nice challenge and you can get lost in working on some of them for hours and days…

allforcnm

I have read it a couple of times, and on one hand it seems like he is sharing feelings that are hiding behind appearances, but when I had my husband read it, he wondered if some of the comments are not directed at the jail wards? Neither of us know anything about jail, but he felt it was about a power struggle, or feeling diminished in the eyes of the guards because he is imprisoned, but also feeling the guards are really of the same nature, and if they met outside the prison...

Very Intriguing.

Do you ever ask him to explain the poems? Sometimes with art and poetry it is best not to really know what was in the artist mind... that's what makes it special each person breathes in a different meaning.

mybrother

Thank you very much for both comments. I guess I should stop trying to figure out the true meaning behind his poetry. It's just that his poetry is my only glimpse inside of him. He doesn't tell me anything about himself and I wish I knew what his true thoughts and feelings were. I will mail him some information on poetry, thanks for the idea.