We often say prison is for the birds
just some shit I’d say cuz I heard it but I never really knew what it meant
Like a lot of language, we get the point.
It’s repeated a lot so we got the context
but we can’t really explain or define the meaning
til I noticed that I always see birds
flying around and landing.
There’s a lot of convicts that love taking bread out the kitchen
instead of filling themselves, they feed the birds
throwing it on the ground
its against the rules
but there’s something peaceful freeing and almost manifest within doing an act that triggers
gracious survival behaviors
no thank u needed nor would even be expected
because that would be crazy,
but just a grace acquiesced to the gesture,
almost gives you a hint of value and purpose,
however unglorious, it was a sacred individual exchange
a moment had
and even if only for a moment inside this darkness, that was a glint of light
watching you give life to a free bird while you lose life to a prison
these birds aren’t like any other, somehow they don’t really fly away when we get close…
like umm, hello? ima danger to society! why ain’t u running?!
They don’t see us as that, they just see us..
and see truly we mean them no harm.
We’re both just trying to get by
so we walk along and amongst them
them choosing to skip instead of fly
if only we had that option, what could contain us physically
but its our physical hangups that keeps our mind and spirits locked up
if only we could transcend that reality of being so surface
I start to wonder, as they fly freely, soaring above and beyond us
Do they even realize that we’re trapped?
Are we the zoo creatures that they visit and pet with their presence?
Birds can just come and go
ahha! ok that’s what it means
since birds can come and go with no care and get fed freely, then prison is for people that have no meaning
no care nor desire to do or be different, this is just another part of their existence, of their survival-
it’s unthought and autonomous
There’s an ignorant necessity to it
as if there’s nothing more but status quo-
no hope, no chance, no relevance
that rings a bell
I say often it took prison to contemplate my former imprisonments
prison is the by product or conclusion of a life being imprisoned in either my thoughts, words, actions and spirit
now I crave true and authentic freedom
not the illusion of it inside the razored gates of conformity, hiding from judgement
cuz that’s all prison is anyway, conformity after judgement
I was hiding out there in my supposed freedom, and ended up manifesting the very thing I was running from
how often do we run to the very things we run from
in some form at least
fear is fluid, its ever changing and limits choices
but love is a choosing of freedom
freedom is in facing yourself and discovering that truth no matter how it may be perceived by others,
though it MUST be received by you otherwise you’re just in another form of prison-
procrastinating the inevitable selfishness, selfconsciousness, self righteousness, being self absorbed are all self imposed prisons
freedom is in love above, beyond, and within all things, even the things you don’t understand and which scare you
fearing what we don’t know is just as common as believing we know all there is to know, or what’s relevant to us anyways…
like there’s nothing else but whats already popularly acknowledged
freedom is in Choice
not coerced but Choice that reflects who you are
I can choose to live in the prison of titles and the perceptual taboos biases preferences stereotypes and judgments that follow-
like being a young black felon, inmate and absent father of two
or I can create my own narrative freely
to live comfortably and stand confidently, even boldly in my own truth, not the script that’s pre-written for me
and whatever predisposed symptoms I’m told I may be ailing from
that’s how powerful choice and freedom is
because somehow the decisions of another can still measure the impact and believed actions of mine that will follow suit…
statistics I guess
but I can still choose different, but where does that fit into the equation?
see now saying this, if you were being truthful with yourself, how many people do you know that are in prison but aren’t felons?
are you one of them?
I’ve fallen victim to prisons imposed on me that I wasn’t properly conscious of and my reaction? well I decided to be a victimizer of those situations-environments conditions and those ‘sir, come stand’ circumstances-
instead of victim to them
yea yea, I know its paradoxical to hear of a felon and inmate being a victim but truthfully-
we all are until we decide to be free
and freedom is always a choice
here’s an example of that here in prison
my homies start everyday off and even thru out the day because freedom and its choices must remain consistent, with scrutinizing each others every decision before the choices are made, even with trivial things like making a phone call or as major as physical conflict, with these questions
what are you trying to get out of this?
what are you willing to give for it?
what are you willing to settle for?
and if you fall short, and come ‘this’ close of that goal, what are you willing to lose to get there? see? choice is so powerful
because the thought behind it is equally powerful
and deep within we all embody that power and we’re ALL so powerful
even more so once we recognize it instead of reasoning with it in a way that succeeds in nothing but limiting its potential
and freedom, is a declaration of that power
though freedom ain’t cheap, at least it’s still free
so prison is for the birds.
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