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Photo by Daoudi Aissa on Unsplash

The calamity is coming

The quiet before the storm
The lights flickered
I was sitting in the dark
Wondering if this tornado will finally
Rip this prison apart

Razor sharp fences are destroyed
Concrete walls are destroyed
If a disaster was all that natural
Could it still be avoided

The calamity is coming

Can you hear the noise
Is that thunder or my stomach rumbling

I was in solitary confinement
During an earthquake trying to grab
Ahold to something
the air conditioner was turned off
Dripping sweat, dripping wet
Water floating inside my cell
How real can it get
Food rations getting smaller

The calamity is coming

I can feel it in the wind
That the oppressors are up to something

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Hakim Trent

Hakim Trent is a writer incarcerated in Virginia.