The Last Days(Before Execution) Poem by Munia Khan

What the hell am I doing here inside this black and white stripe suit?
I’ve never wanted the correctional facilities for myself
I’ve never dreamt of such soul sabbath in SCI-Muncy
(though I’ll be worshiping the Pennsylvanian Dracula till my last breath)
After some hours I’ll be taking my last breath mind you.
I’ve been accused of being a psychopath killer
but believe me, I only pierced simple cotton shirts with my knife,
and every time I was innocent enough to ignore the human body inside it.
Well, I wouldn’t be here if I were not guilty, would I?
Though I know I’m not an offender, I’m gladly gonna sacrifice myself
within the diaphragm of that devastating day of deadly death!
This tummy (till today) terrified of the thoughts of tasting tincture of tiffin
served by the severely savage living human body of a prison guard
Therefore, my mind wants to eat my thoughts as my last meal
for my thoughts are eternally eating my malicious mind
My daily death row routine will be massively missed
once I will be on the other side.
And I’ll miss every ounce of holy flesh
between my fragile skin and bone
But remember! I’m not here to atone
I’m not a repentant; nor am I a sinner
as I’ve already started to smell the floral fragrance from
the gates of God’s gracious half-timbered hot heaven
hence the heat of the holy hell is hammering my hallucination
like a tin cup scraping along iron bars
but no! I ain’t a half-cut hysterical hypocrite
I have really been enjoying the last days of my life here.
I’ll be fantastically fine after finishing this fiendish flight of a life
Oh! God! Let me sing the Iron Maiden song
“Judas Be My Guide” to myself or “Be Quick Or Be Dead”
My memories are tantalized by the tensed time of teen days.
Now I’m dying to recall those days over and over again
when executioners are like Rock Stars to me
I’ve always been an admirer of 'The Iron Duke of Alva'
and of that Charles Henri-Sanson
who could guillotine 12 people under 13 minutes!
Wish I could be Marie Antoinette of those days
and be slaughtered bravely in front of 200,000 cheering fans
Or a female version of that mighty Mel Gibson heart William Wallace
and be able to see the ghost of my former love at the moment of execution!
As I am writing this on my prison cell wall
a man in black has just arrived
He is not that guillotine man from years ago
but someone I’ve never dreamt of even in my nightmares
He is asking my last wish-
And I’ve just answered –“ Let me be dead first”


Written on the night of 23rd August,2011

©Munia Khan 2011