Jamsson, 31

Jamsson, 31

Meet Jamsson…

I made a few mistakes in my life but since my incarceration I have dedicated my life to becoming the leader I felt like I needed in my life.

Housed: Sumter Correctional Institution, FL

I made a few mistakes in my life but since my incarceration I have dedicated my life to becoming the leader I felt like I needed in my life. Thanks to my sister I was able to have a poem book published that can hopefully inspire those who read it to chase their dreams no matter where they may be. It’s called ‘The Book Of Spade.’

Here is a poem I gave during  Sumter’s Lifers Program Graduation.

 

Years,

Decades,

Centuries…

So much time…wasted

Sleeping in this century

 

While some rot,

Others…

Are holding on to a thin line of hope…

That one day…

They can see the light

 

The light at the end of the tunnel,

No matter how dim and frail

It may be,

It’s enough…

To get them to their feet.

 

Seeing the errors of their ways

Some realize it’s time for change…

As a man thinketh

So is he…

The stronger the mind

The better off that man will be.

 

The soul glows, 

The spirit becomes enlightened,

But the body remains stationary…

Locked away to be forgotten.

 

Years,

Decades,

Centuries…

 

So much time

Can cause a man to be broken

Yet…

Some choose to keep fighting,

Dreaming,

Hoping,

Pushing through the darkness

That’s trying to cloud their minds

So they can keep their eyes…

On that dim little light

At the end of the tunnel.

 

Looking towards the mountain

Where those that have the power

To make a change dwell…

Praying that they would consider 

Adding a little wood to the fire so the light…

So the light…

At the end of the tunnel

Can burn brighter.

 

Change…

It’s time for change.

 

No longer should we stand by and allow things to remain the same…

 

Years, 

Decades, 

Centuries…

So much time…

So much misery.

 

Burnice, 47

In prison, there are wolves, sheep and things in-between. Whenever you put a predator in a cage with its prey, the outcome should be quite obvious. 

When I first arrived in prison I ran with the wolves but never preyed on the sheep. I guess they thought I was a vegetarian wolf. They failed to understand that I wasn’t a wolf at all because I bared large fangs. I got to observe and study their moods, behaviors and how they hunted and devoured their prey. What I saw sickened me and then I ran alone. Since then they thought of me as their same species. I was never attacked by them. 

I then started studying the sheep. They were a bit leery at first of having me around them, but they became comfortable when they saw I meant them no harm. They too must have thought I was a vegetarian. It didn’t take me long to start disliking the sheep, all day long they cried, whimpered, and complained about everything. Nothing was ever good enough and they felt they should have been treated better than the wolves, even though they did something wrong that got them thrown in the cage with the wolves. I left their company and again ran alone. Loneliness lead me to seek others like me. It wasn’t easy because so many were disguised. Wolves disguising as sheep to get close to them and sheep parading around as wolves hoping to ward off attacks. Even those appearing to be like me weren’t. When I truly found those like me – they were the pack I ran with.  

In times when prey became scarce, wolves of different packs fought for dominance and control. They would also fight amongst themselves. My pack posed no threat to their food supply so they went around us. Every now and then a wolf would show me his fangs in a sign of superiority, but I would snarl back letting him know I was a big dog and he’d need his entire pack to take me down. Whether they’re stupid or just don’t give a damn, the shepherds know the wolves are going to leave a mess for them to clean up. When the wolves are through eating, they leave the carcass there to rot. This problem can easily be rectified by simply putting the wolves and sheep in separate cages. My guess for the reason they don’t do it is a combination of laziness, sorriness, and not giving a damn. Not fixing it, eventually creates more work for them. When things get too intense, the shepherd throw the wolves some scraps to calm them down and give the sheep things to shut them up. If the shepherd sees the wolves getting too aggressive he’ll grab his shotgun and stand watch. If ever the wolves got together to form one pack they could overthrow the shepherd. This doesn’t concern the shepherd because he knows they are irrational, unstable, predatory animals who are unable to come together. The shepherd has the means to educate the wolves, but feels it’s better to keep them ignorant and predictable. 

Some people feel that sheep should never be caged with wolves no matter how bad the sheep’s crimes are. Others feel that those sheep shouldn’t have put themselves in that predicament. If a wolf makes it out of the cage, he’s destined to return because of his savage nature. If a sheep makes it out, he has to live with the physical and mental scars placed upon him by the wolves. The only ones who can truly make it after getting out of the cage are those who aren’t wolves or sheep.

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