The Cage Poem by Weldon Davis

The food sucks
Have ya begging for
Ramen noodles on canteen day
In the cage

The a/c pumps
Even when it's 40 degrees outside
What a ride

They tell ya
Take ya showers in the morning
5 other dudes
In the nude

Have ya glued
To a paperback
Which author is that?
Stephen King's and James Patterson's
Are like gold
And ya get 3 hours of 'rec' a day
If ya do what ya told
In the cage

The feelings ya feel are sub-human
Everybody assume'n
They know how you feel or what ya doing
NO THEY DON'T
Can't even comprehend
The level of sin
Ya soul feels it's due
Some days are all the same
Some ya start anew
In the cage

No birthdays, holidays,
Nor anniversaries
Just missed court dates,
Discoveries and pleas
Watch T.V. in silence
At the world gone awry
And wonder
What kind of life
Ya may be able to conjure up
Ya look for lost friends
But they're farther up
The river
-Or-
The totem pole

Nobody knows
All the nights sat in solitude
As you write your life's story
Mentally
Over and over
Page after page
Sadness
Sorrowful sonnets
Laced with malice, hatred, and rage

As ya sit pen in hand
In the cage
You've placed yourself in