Titles

Everything has a title

even Title 16’s

They throw you in a cell

and a number is your name

And they will throw you in da hole

to make you forget everything

No clothes, no bed, not even underwear

It’s dark and dirty with rats everywhere

All I write about is being locked up

cuz all I think about is getting da f***

out!

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27 Comments

  1. Kavita on June 30, 2010 at 6:55 PM

    Brings horrific pictures to mind… A very powerful poem with strong emotions and intense feeling!
    Very well written!!!

  2. Sasha on April 13, 2018 at 1:15 PM

    intense i hope i never go to prison, i agree with kavita, this is a very well written piece that really has meaning about how you feel about your situation

  3. Crystal on December 6, 2018 at 4:46 PM

    Even in the darkest times, be your own light.

  4. Patrick on February 19, 2020 at 5:43 PM

    This is an extremely powerful poem and it has such real emotions. Thank you for taking the time to share your work with me and keep writing!

  5. Billie Marcheva on August 2, 2020 at 11:16 PM

    Your poetry screams about the gruesomeness of the current situation; it’s palpable. There is so much intensely wrong with both the legal systems that decide who gets what fate and with the prisons themselves and how people are treated within them. I recognize your frustration and I want you to know it’s completely valid and that I feel you deserve better.

    Thank you for sharing your poetry.

  6. armani739 on September 10, 2020 at 12:59 AM

    Great poem, by this time I’m hoping times have gotten easier for you!

    The writing is raw and extremely emotional. The details are captivating and through your writing I can see the situation. Wishing you nothing but the best.

    K.P.

  7. Dyemone on October 20, 2020 at 12:25 PM

    I can feel the frustration that you have. I hope things get better for you. Always have hope, never give up. I hope you continue to write in the future.

    • Henry on May 9, 2022 at 3:12 PM

      Very simple, but it gets the point across. Thank you for sharing.

  8. kiana on October 30, 2020 at 3:00 PM

    The imagery and the emotion in this poem are so rich and powerful. Being vulnerable in these poems takes so much self-awareness and reflection. Please keep writing and stay strong!

  9. Preeti on November 11, 2020 at 3:31 PM

    You do an excellent job of portraying what your experience is like. I think you also do a good job in showing the need for reform. This is what people need to read/see for action to take place, for change to occur.

  10. kassidilenae on November 17, 2020 at 11:13 AM

    Thank you for sharing this with us! I can only imagine what you have been through. Keep using your voice to spread awareness. You are heard and you are capable! Keep writing!

    KC

  11. Samantha on January 30, 2021 at 7:45 PM

    To the author of “Titles”,

    This was powerful. Man, did I get chills. This really illuminates the atrocities of our prison systems, and the inhumane ways in which people are treated. Thank you for approaching such a needed topic, and I hope this will spark the necessary conversations around prison reform!

    Best,

    Samantha

  12. Courtney on February 23, 2021 at 12:28 AM

    Great poem! I love the concept of “titles” surrounding this. Keep up the great work!

  13. Leenda on February 25, 2021 at 10:44 PM

    I think that this brings awareness to a lot of issues in the system. I think titles are everywhere in our society and prison does not give enough to treat people like human. It so dehumanizing when you are reduced to a number but a number can also be a title. I like how I can sense the anger and injustice in the language. I hope things get better for the future.

  14. BF on April 12, 2021 at 4:39 PM

    Dear “Titles” author,
    I love this poem. This poem has much depth and passion in it. The realness in the poem made it such a good poem. Thank you for sharing your realness with us.I appreciate the depth of the poem and the flow.

  15. Zach on April 26, 2022 at 5:09 PM

    This is a real interpretation about what it’s like on the inside. I got chills from this.

  16. Jaxson Pawlowski on October 29, 2022 at 8:33 AM

    These titles can also be explained in the way of labels! If you call someone a criminal, they are more likely to want to fit the role because everyone else believes it! My way of saying titles are very powerful and can limit one’s chances to succeed.

    “No clothes, no bed, not even underwear.” So wrong! We send people to prison in hopes that they can return to society, so why do we treat them the opposite way society will treat them? The shame of this can make you wonder if it’s deserved.

    It sounds like such a hard time, I wish you the best and hope you can return to society soon!

    ~JP

  17. McKenzie Gordon on November 17, 2022 at 12:00 PM

    I love the insight into what it is like to be in prison. The language you used makes it easy to set the poem’s tone. There is a sense of realness, and I can tell that you are serious. Things can get better. Bless you.

  18. aaliyah on November 20, 2022 at 10:23 PM

    Dear author, I wanted to start off with saying how much I liked your poem. From the way you describe your experience in prison, and how it affected I can sense you’re not having a good time, but even in the crappiset situations you need to be the one that lifts your own head when it falls. The way the system treats people in prison to me is a little crazy, prison should be about rehabilitation and nothing else. In your poem I like how you said, “they will throw you in the hold and make you forget everything”. That sentence made me think about how little to no contact people have when they go to prison, and I can imagine it gets lonely time to time. But even though it may seem like you’re slowly forgetting the world I bet there’s someone out there who’s always going to remember you so Never feel completely alone. I think it took strength to tell the world about the obstacles you’re facing in your life, so I thank you for that too. This was a great poem thank you so much for sharing.
    I wish you well! – Aaliyah.

  19. Meghan on November 22, 2022 at 11:01 AM

    I like this poem because it is a real description of what living in a cell feels like. I can never imagine being given a bad title like you are. You are worth way more than that. Writing seems like a really good outlet for you, so keep up the good writing. Things will get better for you in the future, just keep doing the right thing and stay positive.

  20. SK on December 1, 2022 at 12:45 PM

    You’ll be out soon my guy keep hope

  21. Mackenzie Curry on December 4, 2022 at 9:33 PM

    Hi!
    I really liked reading this poem it’s much different than the other poems I’ve read on here. This poem is written much less formal. It feels like your writ actually what you said, not fake fancy words just your own words in poem form. You’re doing really great by using this space as an outlet for the emotions you have. Goodluck with your time and keep your head up, you’ll be home soon!

  22. Jocelyn Patterson on March 4, 2023 at 1:32 PM

    Wow this poem is so powerful, I hope you get out soon this sounds horrible. Prison shouldn’t be this bad for people they should be working to become better not treating people like they aren’t humans I am so sorry. Thank you for bringing your experience to the public to show the conditions.

  23. John on March 27, 2023 at 12:54 PM

    Be your own light in the darkest times. The insight of what it is like to be in a prison is very interesting. It almost gives you chills. Keep writing and pushing forward.

  24. Gillian on March 27, 2023 at 8:25 PM

    Hi, I really appreciated reading this, as I don’t know what you are going through, and the insight that you were able to bring forward about your living situation and treatment is a pill that I think is very hard to swallow for a lot of people who don’t believe our justice system needs restoration. Your poem just shows how inhumane it really can be and hopefully will shed some light. Thank you, and I hope you keep writing.

  25. Noah on April 3, 2023 at 1:07 PM

    This poem has strong feeling

  26. Colleen on April 13, 2023 at 12:50 PM

    I can really feel the frustration in this poem. I like how you describe your time and mention how they even give you a title when you go to prison. I also like how you used slang (da hole) to describe solitary confinement.

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