An encounter with D, a young adult in custody at Rikers Island Jail charged with 2nd degree murder awaiting trial ( almost three years ).
You are the white, privileged, independent, who is in control,
,I am the black, confined, oppressed, controlled
You talk to me in your tender masculinity,
I am not familiar with your gentle language.
You kindly ask me questions about my personal life and curiously listen,
,I share about my family that cries, my little one who I barely saw
and my puppy that yearns for my touch through the weekly phone call.
,You reflect to me that my family is my anchor
that they can offer me,
meaning, hope and connection.
,Even if they are not physically close by
You invite me to breathe deeply,
reminding me that breath is always present,
even when I am not present for myself.
I am looking for quietness,
for my alone time,
perhaps the thirty minutes I have with you,
is the only time of Hesed / Grace I have in the insanity around me.
You remind me what it means to feel free through
breath,
words,
heart,
prayer,
Even when I return,
To my cell,
To their gehenom/ hell,
To the wild animal they see in me,
I am my breath,
I am free.
Comments