Message From Jail Poem by Bright Nkyi

MESSAGE FROM JAIL

I write to set the record straight: you didn't die of a heart attack
No, it was the hunger strike that took your life, a tragic fact
Ghost, tell my mom now she can criticize
Post this piece to her, that I've reached the crux

Hope, you are lost as I miss my crutch
Woe, unto me as I made you cry
Coal, tarred your happiness like the rain clouds
Me, boast, of what? Whilst I couldn't make you proud

I cry as the past reverberates, son
Happiness is not found in wines and intoxication
Be focused, yet life is an anti-race
Regardless of how much papers you make

You can't pass the Gate
Better stick to your lane
Make the hay before the raining day
Since you have the space to make a case

Be tortoise-like in your pursuit of riches, walk at your own pace
But don't be late, for poverty is annoying and ugly
Though it may seem flashy, don't let it push you to hate
Son, happiness is being proud of your state

Tears rain on me as I remember these
My dream was to make you a smiling mother
Generate all the papers, irrespective of the manner
Taking you through most expensive tours was my pleasure

My dream was to buy you the grown toys
Take excitement in ladies' twerk and unnatural joy
Which got me employed in the occupation with great coy
Traded in hard drugs, like coke, cane, and heroin

I saw life as difficult, needing demystification
So I took the path with numerous opposition
Which has ended me in prison.