Asante

Hotep,

A penitentiary social setting is designed to give the officers clear visuals of the prisoner’s day-to-day interactions.  The dayroom consists of 6 stainless steel tables with 4 stainless steel seats at each one.  A soda crates that contains playing cards, scrabble boards, dominoes and several chess sets.  A television sits high on the wall closest to the officer’s control station.  There’s on mid-sized television for every 24 inmates.  Real talk.

In this type of setting, no one can watch every program of their liking, but believe me, there are a select few who believe the television came to prison with them.  In their eyes, the television is the answer to their daily dosage of death row reality.  Feel me?

I make conscious efforts to avoid the folly behind the television remote control.  I try not to spend a lot of time in the dayroom.  I enjoy watching sports and Grey’s Anatomy, but for the most part, I keep myself busy with constructive reading material and honing my literary craft.  Na mean?

Loneliness can lead to an assigned seat in the dayroom.  The ink in my pen provides a partition of mental peace.  This partition keeps me away from that assigned seat, a gift from the Creator that I am truly thankful for.  “Asante” (Swahili for Thank You).

Knowing who I am and what my life should be makes it easy for me to get caught up in immediacy.  I often ask myself: “Why am I still here?”  Wouldn’t you?

Our first lady, Michelle Obama recently traveled to South Africa.  While there, she spent some quality time with former South African president, Nelson Mandela, a man who’s more than familiar with the desolation that comes with living inside of a concrete box. Na mean?

Afterwards, the 1^st Lady spoke at the Rosa Parks Library in Soweto to the Young African Women’s Forum.  It was there she revealed the answer to my “Why am I still here” question:

“The only thing that happens in an instant is destruction.  Build something…Earthquake; it’s gone, but everything else requires time.  Don’t let the struggle discourage you because it’s hard.  It’s supposed to be hard.”

This year, I’ll be giving thanks for all that is good in my life.  To my fam and supporters, Asante.  The insight and compassion of our 1^st Lady is nurturing to a Mann living inside of a concrete box.  Justice can be a long and lonely journey.  Asante.

Peace and Love,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann