Pillar III wraps up…

On Saturday, March 13th, we concluded our most recent round of Reconstruction’s Community Capacity-Building Curriculum. As part of Pillar III, we explored subgroups, grassroots partnerships, and institutional disruptions. Thanks to all who participated! Below is the word-cloud we made with our informal ‘notes.’

2020 (Take 1), by Hakim ‘Ali

IT’S 2020

WELL, ANOTHER DECADE HAS PASSED

WHAT HAPPENED IN THOSE 10 YEARS REMAIN IN THE PAST

BUT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON THE HERE & NOW

WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER DECADE TO BLOW

SO, LET’S THINK ABOUT THE YEAR JUST ENDED

DID YOU ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU INTENDED?

DID YOU GAIN IN WISDOM AND STRENGTH?

OR WERE YOU SWAYED AND CONVINCED BY A FEEBLE EVENT?

WERE YOU FAITHFUL TO YOUR CORE AND BELIEF?

OR DID 2019 HAVE YOU RUNNING AND SEEKING RELIEF?

I CAN’T SAY THAT LAST YEAR WAS SUCCESSFUL

I HAD TOO MANY PERIODS OF BEING STRESSFUL

I LOST A LOT OF PEOPLE I LOVED

I STARTED TO LOSE MY FAITH IN THE ABOVE

I SEPARATED FROM FRIENDS OF THE PAST

I WAS SHOCKED AND ROCKED WHEN I LEARNED LOVE DIDN’T LAST

I THOUGHT I KNEW WHO WERE MY REAL FRIENDS

AND WASN’T SURE HOW TO BEGIN AGAIN

I FINALLY GOT BACK TO WHAT WAS ALWAYS THERE

MY REAL FRIENDS, MY MUSLIM FAMILY AND MY PRAYER

YES! 2019 ENDED MUCH BETTER THAT IT BEGUN

I STARTED TO HAVE SOME REAL FUN

I BEGAN TO SMILE AND LAUGH AGAIN

I REMEMBERED WHAT I HAD AGAIN

I REMEMBERED TO BE THANKFUL FOR LIFE, FOR FAMILY, FOR THE LOVE

OF

MY

LORD

SURELY, I WOULDN’T HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT HIM

YES! 2020 WILL BE BETTER, MY MAN

I KNOW THIS BECAUSE “MY LIFE” HAS RETURNED AGAIN…..

-Peace, Hakim ‘Ali

THE “OTHER” 2020, by Hakim ‘Ali

[NOTE from Hakim ‘Ali: It has been my practice and tradition to write a poem greeting each new year. But 2020 has been unique (to say the least), so I’m writing about the END of 2020, THE OTHER 2020]. 

IN LIFE THERE’S AN AUTOMATIC  MISSION 

AND 

THERE’S NO SIN IF THERE’S PERMISSION 

BUT 

SOMETIMES THINGS SEEM TO GO AWRY 

SO 

YOU WONDER IF YOU’LL MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

THERE’S BLOOD STAINS IN THE STREETS 

THERE’S THE STRONGEST PERSON TURNING TOWARDS BEING WEAK 

THERE’S NORMALLY OUR VICTORIES, TURNING INTO DEFEATS 

AND 

WE SEEM TO CHANGE OUR BEAT 

TO 

TRYING TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

MANY PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY ARE OF BLACK SKIN 

AND 

THEY’S HIDING, RUNNING AND SCARED OUT OF THE DANGER WITHIN 

AND 

EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN SEE THROUGH ALL THE LIES 

THE OBJECTIVE IN LIFE IS 

TO MAKE IT OUR ALIVE 

NOW, THERE’S A NEW ENEMY AT LARGE 

AN ENEMY THAT EXIST NOT BECAUSE WE WERE IN CHARGE 

AN ENEMY MORE DEADLY THAN ANYHING WE’VE SEEN 

AN ENEMY BROUGHT TO US FROM OUTSIDE OUR SHORES 

AN ENEMY THAT HAS FORCED US TO STAY INDOORS 

COVID 19 

COVID 19 

COVID 19 

I DO HOPE THERE’S HOPE FOR US IN THE END 

THIS ENEMY SEEMS TO WANT ALL OUR LIVES TO END 

IT’S DIFFERENT FROM MAN-MADE STRIFE 

THIS THING IS DETERMINED TO TAKE NOTHING BUT LIFE 

BUT

WE’LL CONTINUE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

NORMALLY I’M SPEAKING ABOUT THE FUTURE 

AND WHAT CAN WE ACCOMPLISH IN THE NEW YEAR 

BUT 

NOW I’M WONDERING WHO AMONG US WILL BE HERE 

NORMALLY I’M QUESTIONING THE OBJECTIVE OF MEN 

NOW 

THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMS LIKE A MAXIMUM SECURITY PEN 

STILL 

WE STRIVE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

[music/sing: make it out alive 

My my my 

Make it out alive 

Oooh oooh, aaaah aaah, ummm ummm] 

NOW WE CAN’T FORGET, THE OTHER REGRET 

THAT 

KILLINGS AND MURDER AND BLOOD STAINS STILL EXIST 

THIS VIRUS HASN’T STOPPED THE MADNESS IN THE STREETS/IN OUR MIDST 

I SEE BLOOD STAINS ON THE DOOR, ON THE FLOOR, IN THE STREET 

YET 

NO ONE STEPS UP TO SPEAK THE TRUTH 

NO MAN, NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE 

STILL EVEN NOW 

WE GOTTA MAKE IT OUT ALIVE 

WHAT’S A KING TO A GUY, WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING? 

OUR HISTORY IS NOT INSPIRING, YET WE SURVIVED 

OUR CHALLENGES ARE TREMENDOUS, OUR TRUTHS UNIQUE 

WE LOOK AT 2020 FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECIVE 

AS WE MEET AND GREET 

THIS NEW YEAR 

WE LEAVE 2020 IN A DIFFERENT STATE OF MIND 

YET 

AS WE LEAVE IT BEHIND, WE’LL STILL STRIVE, 

TO 

MAKE IT OUT ALIVE! 

-Peace, Hakim ‘Ali 

Penitentiary Theater, by Larry Stromberg

Plays are my Psalms sung unto God, someone once told me 

Stories staged to bless the condemned 

A portrait of deliverance or chaos, freeing the hopeless for just a few short hours 

We are all actors behind the razor wire 

Moment by moment, one scene at a time 

I feel alive portraying these roles 

The struggles of the confined 

This is where my redemption dwells 

A purpose revealed to this mass population 

A dedicated legacy defined 

-(c) 2020, SCI-Phoenix

Prison World, by Larry Stromberg

Trapped in the bars of my mind

Addiction has feasted on my soul

Obsession controlling my thoughts

Incarcerated within my world

A dark cloud hovers over me

I’m searching for the light

My prefrontal cortex is on lockdown

Welcome to prison world

I gotta break free, plan my escape

Release myself from the bondage

Riot my emotions

Next stop, Death Row, if I don’t break the chains of oppression

I must look into the eyes of reality

Accept rehabilitation and embrace my recovery

Learn to forgive all, including myself

Accountability and responsibility is my motto of truth

A heart of remorse

Atonement lays at my feet

 Freedom calls my name

-(c) 2020, SCI-Phoenix

Book about Patricia Rorrer at SCI-Muncy

Reposted from Chicago Review Press: “In Pennsylvania’s first use of mitochondrial DNA in a criminal case, Patricia Rorrer was quickly tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. But did the jury make the right decision? Is Patricia Rorrer truly guilty? As new evidence continues to surface, including allegations of evidence tampering, that question requires an answer even more. The book reveals information never before made public and gathered directly from more than 10,000 official documents, including Pennsylvania State Police reports, FBI files, forensic lab results, and the 6,500-page trial transcript.”