Hotep,
As a death row prisoner in the state of North Carolina, I am “permitted” to make one phone call a year. December is the designated month. For ten minutes, you get to reach out to your peoples in a way that you once took for granted. It’s an annual occurrence that can provide a morale ascension that might jumpstart your mission, going into the New Year. It can also be a grim encounter with certain officers, who exhibit bitterness toward death row prisoners. Na mean?
As much as I enjoy the holiday season, the insidious efforts of these officers to discourage and inconvenience a prisoner and his fam, makes bitterness interchangeable with mistletoe. The bitterness hovers, awaiting acknowledgement and potentially harvests negative responses. The actions of a select few are intended to make a prisoner feel like his friends have become strangers. Or his fam and loved ones have moved on and left him hanging like a clothesline. Feel me?
Disregarding the bitterness that dangles from the walls of death row is a grave challenge, but when I was informed of the 30 or so, protesters outside of Central Prison yesterday (12/17/10), it helped me overcome the bitterness exhibited by the so called “authority figures” working on death row. The Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective and Raleigh F.I.S.T organizations banged drums, blew whistles and carried signs, calling for the release of all prisoners. It was a display of support for prison rebels in the state of Georgia. Their bitter conditions caught the attention of some Raleigh support groups, which is a good thing, because everything ain’t “all sweet” in North Cakalak. Ya heard?
In prison, it’s natural to encounter bitterness on a daily basis. Which brings forth my New Year’s resolution: When standing under the limbs of bitterness, I’ll dig deep, uproot and take the unnatural route by not responding to bitterness with bitterness. Word is bond!
Happy New Year blogosphere!!
Stay Up,
MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann
As a death row prisoner in the state of North Carolina, I am “permitted” to make one phone call a year. December is the designated month. For ten minutes, you get to reach out to your peoples in a way that you once took for granted. It’s an annual occurrence that can provide a morale ascension that might jumpstart your mission, going into the New Year. It can also be a grim encounter with certain officers, who exhibit bitterness toward death row prisoners. Na mean?
As much as I enjoy the holiday season, the insidious efforts of these officers to discourage and inconvenience a prisoner and his fam, makes bitterness interchangeable with mistletoe. The bitterness hovers, awaiting acknowledgement and potentially harvests negative responses. The actions of a select few are intended to make a prisoner feel like his friends have become strangers. Or his fam and loved ones have moved on and left him hanging like a clothesline. Feel me?
Disregarding the bitterness that dangles from the walls of death row is a grave challenge, but when I was informed of the 30 or so, protesters outside of Central Prison yesterday (12/17/10), it helped me overcome the bitterness exhibited by the so called “authority figures” working on death row. The Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective and Raleigh F.I.S.T organizations banged drums, blew whistles and carried signs, calling for the release of all prisoners. It was a display of support for prison rebels in the state of Georgia. Their bitter conditions caught the attention of some Raleigh support groups, which is a good thing, because everything ain’t “all sweet” in North Cakalak. Ya heard?
In prison, it’s natural to encounter bitterness on a daily basis. Which brings forth my New Year’s resolution: When standing under the limbs of bitterness, I’ll dig deep, uproot and take the unnatural route by not responding to bitterness with bitterness. Word is bond!
Happy New Year blogosphere!!
Stay Up,
MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann
No comments:
Post a Comment