I had this physical jolt, realizing just what an alarm meant – someone, right then, was struggling to stay alive.
Eric was like a mentor to me here. It turned out we were both from the same part of San Francisco, and we shared stories of our neighborhood. He was 20 years older than me, a good guy, the kind you hate to see in prison. He helped a lot of guys, especially with legal work. He was there for me through some difficult times. He was a beast on a workout too. He only had one leg, but put most two legged men to shame trying to keep up with his workouts! One day, E was here, the next he was just gone. I was told he had passed. That put me in such shock! That was the moment alarms became something different to me. Each time someone dies in prison an emergency alarm goes off and we have to sit down in place until medical staff remove the body. I felt I had been blind to reality before. I had this physical jolt, realizing just what an alarm meant – someone, right then, was struggling to stay alive. Death feels so close every time an alarm buzzes after that. They go off suddenly, and I’d be stuck, wondering who was fighting for their life at that moment. I began to look at a lot of things more seriously. It seems that even after death, I had one more lesson for me. I found a new word while exploring my dictionary. Yes, I’m a nerd and I’m cool with it! The word is invacuate. It’s basically an inverted evacuation, where in an emergency, people are kept inside one location. I thought, well that’s us! It got me thinking, and poetry has become a powerful outlet for me. So I’m sharing this poem. Thank you for giving me space to do so! I hope it helps at least one person to gain something of worth. God bless and stay safe!
