John E.

Bravvn

John E.

Brown

A Waterways Project

Publication

Richard Spiegel Barbara Fisher Thomas Perry

Paul Takis site teacher

Frank Brickler, Principal Youth Options Unlimited

Stephen E. Phillips, Superintendent, Alternative High Schools & Programs

© 1995 Ten Penny Players with funding support from

the NY State Council on the Arts & Con Edison

contents

Eavesdropping 3

Routine 4

Thoughts 5

A Day in the System 6

Friends 7

Anger 7

Beautiful Days 8

Days 9

Poetry 11

looking Out 12

2

Eavesdropping

All my days and nights

are filled with thoughts of you. It might be hard to believe

but all my words are true.

I want to share your love

and let you hold my body tight

let your love flow through my veins as we dance away the night.

I want you to be mine

'cause your love is sweet like skittles. Women call men dogs,

so I guess you're my bits and kibbles. I'm a wild beast and you're

my joy and beauty.

To protect you to keep you happy is my only duty.

I want to take you to Paradise to a place made just for us

to feel your warmth and passion when our lips first touch.

Your love is so strong

3

it shines like light.

I want to spend time with you throughout the day and watch you sleep at night.

I'll be your guardian angel

and protect you from all dangers. You can be my joy

and relieve me of all my angers In every word of this poem

in every line I'm sincere.

If you feel the same for me you'll hear me whisper them in your ear.

Routine

Today will be yesterday and today was tomorrow Tomorrow will be today

and tomorrow will be yesterday

Yesterday was tomorrow but yesterday is loday.

4

Thoughts

Life is meant to be joyful and full of happy days, we all have talents that

should shine like the sun's rays. I often wonder why life

seems so hard to live.

What fills us with greed and

makes us always take, instead of give? I wonder jf life

will always seem so hard. Why does evil overtake me with no holds barred? What makes grass green? The sky blue?

What makes me think the thoughts I do?

5

A Day in the System

A day in the system

is run by rules and regulations, constant directives

can cause harmful agitations. Five-thirty wakeup

seven o'clock breakfast

your day is planned in advance .. Living institutionalized

is simply living in a trance. Looking out the window

with thoughts of freedom on your mind reminiscing about the things

in life you left behind.

Doing time is a set back,

time worth more than gold.

The world still turns,

while yours is put on hold

6

l \:......___ __

Friends

Friends are people to whom we give our trust, be honest and faithful,love not lust.

Friends are there to turn bad days around, bring forth smiles and get rid of frowns. Friends come and friends go

they come in with the tide and are gone when the wind blows.

You never know where or when you'll meet someone new, once upon a time your best friend was a stranger to you.

Anger

Anger is what I feel now and when I'm treated wrong anger is feeling hatred, frustration, stress & disrespect what makes me feel anger?

Is incarceration getting to me? Is institutionalism defeating me?

I feel anger when I'm deprived of something I own, earned or deserve.

7 ,

Being mad is often confused with feeling anger. When I'm constantly given directives, it brings anger out 01 me.

Beautiful Days

Beautiful days

the sun's bright rays joyful ways

where happiness lay.

Beautiful days sunshine stays

hard work pays where happiness lay

Beautiful days art displays one-act plays

where happiness lay.

8

Days

Every day begins with the end of a night... some days are dark

Some days are bright

Some are cursed with rain

Some are blessed with the sun's light

Every day is unique

Because it's different from the next Every day is good

Because of the beauty it possesses

Days deliver news good and bad

Always attempting to make you happy or sad Yesterday's youth present a change for tomorrow Seems so sad it might be filled with sorrow

Days are good times and

Bad times in the making

Good ones bring forth smiles

Bad ones leave hearts aching

9

Some days seem to fly Others seem to drown

Some are action-packed like verbs Others boring as a noun

Days deliver news good and bad

Always attempting to make you happy or sad Yesterday's youth present a change for tomorrow Seems so sad it might be filled with sorrow

Every day ends with the beginning of a night.

10

Poetry

Poetry is a place where I find myself relaxed

Only to find that when I leave frustrations will soon

be back Entering this world free of all troubles

Totally in happiness like newly wed couples Refreshen my mind to what a peaceful life can be Yearning to live forever in poetry.

11

Looking Out

Looking through the window

from this side of the bars

Is enough to leave my brain with scars

Watching birds move gracefully through the sky Come and go as they wish brings tears to my eyes Hearing children down below making happy sounds Knowing Christmas is coming causes my heart

to pound Watching the trees sway side to side every time the wind blows is a comparison to incarceration's stereotype and how it goes.

Watching fine females walk past strutting their stuff catches my attention, my eyes are in cuffs Makes me reminisce to when I thought I'd only

look in If I had those times back I'd do things different.

I often wonder if I really went the wrong route, Still, I know for sure I prefer looking in, instead of

looking out

12

In Search of a Song Volume 84

l .a

,,' - ... :,1' .~ .........••• _. , .•• ~_ ••

;',.- , .. ,,~- .. ,-,..- : .. - ...•. ~

, • 1 • --_.-._ .

• ".. • ••••••• ~ •••.... p' ,'!'.,

.~~ a waterways publication