Posted inPoetry

My Witness

by Marlon Siguenza November 21, 2022May 26, 2023

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My Witness

by Marlon Siguenza, Prison Journalism Project
November 21, 2022

<h1>My Witness</h1>
<p class="byline">by Marlon Siguenza, Prison Journalism Project <br />November 21, 2022</p>
 <br />
<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prisonjournalismproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/prison-journalism-marlon-siguera-witness.111022-775x1024.jpg" alt="Prison protest artwork by incarcerated artist Marlon Siguera" class="wp-image-22989" width="581" height="768" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Illustration by Marlon Siguenza</figcaption></figure>
<p>Pain is my witness to sickness<br />Probably one of the reasons I’m stuck in this system<br />A child too young to understand the full meaning of a victim<br />A mother leaving her kids after the war<br />Abandonment issues, permanent scars<br />A father who left, denying his presence<br />A child feeling disposable, just as the waste is<br />Looking for love and guidance in all the wrong places<br />Finding meaning in violence, a form of expression<br />Unheard tears, transforming into aggressions<br />15 years old in juvenile detentions<br />Only thing slowing me down was artistic obsessions<br />Visions I started chasing<br />Creations I thought were amazing<br />Spray paintings on walls, property defacements<br />Trying to forget my economic and social conditions<br />My mother cleaning houses in a landfill of racists<br />My young heart filled with all types of bias and hatreds<br />A mother working hard to appeal to my rational senses<br />Addictions to alcohol, drugs and 2 sexing<br />Coping mechanisms 2 inner depressions<br />Doing everything possible to numb my senses<br />Avoiding deeper reflections and questions<br />Finally found God as my refuge<br />Asking He hear the pains of the struggle and open<br />His protections and blessings</p>


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Prison protest artwork by incarcerated artist Marlon Siguera — Illustration by Marlon Siguenza

Pain is my witness to sickness
Probably one of the reasons I’m stuck in this system
A child too young to understand the full meaning of a victim
A mother leaving her kids after the war
Abandonment issues, permanent scars
A father who left, denying his presence
A child feeling disposable, just as the waste is
Looking for love and guidance in all the wrong places
Finding meaning in violence, a form of expression
Unheard tears, transforming into aggressions
15 years old in juvenile detentions
Only thing slowing me down was artistic obsessions
Visions I started chasing
Creations I thought were amazing
Spray paintings on walls, property defacements
Trying to forget my economic and social conditions
My mother cleaning houses in a landfill of racists
My young heart filled with all types of bias and hatreds
A mother working hard to appeal to my rational senses
Addictions to alcohol, drugs and 2 sexing
Coping mechanisms 2 inner depressions
Doing everything possible to numb my senses
Avoiding deeper reflections and questions
Finally found God as my refuge
Asking He hear the pains of the struggle and open
His protections and blessings

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Marlon Siguenza

Marlon Siguenza is a writer and author of “Social Justice Through the Arts.” At Correctional Training Facility, he founded a group by the same name around restorative justice, social justice, the arts and policy work. He is incarcerated in California.

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