Posted inPoetry

If These Walls Had Eyes

by Cornell Shawell March 8, 2023March 3, 2023

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If These Walls Had Eyes

by Cornell Shawell, Prison Journalism Project
March 8, 2023

<h1>If These Walls Had Eyes</h1>
<p class="byline">by Cornell Shawell, Prison Journalism Project <br />March 8, 2023</p>
 
<p>If these walls had eyes, my innocence would survive<br />through the silence of many heartbeats of prisoners inside<br />                    these very cages and fences<br />               offenders and the offended<br />          Awakened by ticking time from a clock within the center<br />                    of our souls’ dimensions<br />If these walls had eyes,<br />          they would witness a Fight, a War and a Cause to be FREE<br />and feelings of being doomed and locked away<br />          where they threw away the key<br />          the key to some of our lives while some were<br />                         Falsely Accused<br />          overly sentenced, unattached from society like<br />                         yesterday’s news<br />If these walls had eyes … then you would be able to see<br />          that our freedom is never promised<br />               but doing time is guaranteed<br />          That’s why keeping a balance in life is important to me<br />     giving strength to my will and a purpose to succeed<br />With growth I now think for others<br />          working without pride<br />          But the only way you’d know this is<br />               IF THESE WALLS HAD EYES.</p>


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Concrete wall with discoloration and a tall shadow — Photo by Yura Pavlov on Unsplash

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If these walls had eyes, my innocence would survive
through the silence of many heartbeats of prisoners inside
                    these very cages and fences
               offenders and the offended
          Awakened by ticking time from a clock within the center
                    of our souls’ dimensions
If these walls had eyes,
          they would witness a Fight, a War and a Cause to be FREE
and feelings of being doomed and locked away
          where they threw away the key
          the key to some of our lives while some were
                         Falsely Accused
          overly sentenced, unattached from society like
                         yesterday’s news
If these walls had eyes … then you would be able to see
          that our freedom is never promised
               but doing time is guaranteed
          That’s why keeping a balance in life is important to me
     giving strength to my will and a purpose to succeed
With growth I now think for others
          working without pride
          But the only way you’d know this is
               IF THESE WALLS HAD EYES.

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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.

Tagged: Not Just a Number, Pennsylvania

Cornell Shawell

Cornell Shawell is an African American writer incarcerated in Pennsylvania. He is an aspiring writer of poetry and children’s novels.

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