I Didn’t Even Try
Because I’m not Black
my cellie thought it safe to share his opinions of
N*s.
Because I pass for straight
my cellie thought it okay to share his views of
Faggots.
Because I was watching CNN
my cellie thought it okay to share his beliefs about
Fake News.
You can’t fix stupid,
so I didn’t even try.
I’m glad he went home today.
Powerless
I woke suddenly
gasping for breath
shocked awake
by the sound of silence
the stillness was deafening
squatting awkwardly out of place
like a pork chop in a synagogue
Shhhhhh …
missing the eternally steady thrum of my fan
gone the reassuring red glow of my digital clock
absent the tell-tale signs of chaos —
power outage in prison.
magical, beautiful, peaceful
short-lived.
a BANG startles the silence away as
the fan slowly resumes its duties
my clock faithfully flashes 12:00
and our muted misery
returns to full volume.