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!
Tagged with Frustration
38 Comments
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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Brings horrific pictures to mind… A very powerful poem with strong emotions and intense feeling!
Very well written!!!
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
Even in the darkest times, be your own light.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Very simple, but it gets the point across. Thank you for sharing.
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!
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.
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
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
Great poem! I love the concept of “titles” surrounding this. Keep up the great work!
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.
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.
This is a real interpretation about what it’s like on the inside. I got chills from this.
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
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.
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.
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.
You’ll be out soon my guy keep hope
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!
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.
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.
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.
This poem has strong feeling
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.
You mentioned how once you become part of the system, one’s identity become just a number. It is so sad to think that people individuality gets forgotten and treated as just a number. Thank you for sharing your deepest thoughts.
Thank you for this raw unfiltered poem, I could feel your emotion and am glad to see you are releasing it through art. I wish you the absolute best.
Although I don’t know what you’re going through, I feel like I can understand your sense of frustration. The system is frustrating and hopefully one day some justice will be restored to our corrective faculties
I understand completely where you’re coming from. Everything is taken from you, you end up just being a number in everyone else head after you go to jail. You want to be seen and known as being you and having an actual name, not just a number. I love how you didn’t title it cause I feel like titling this poem would go againest what you’re trying to say. Great work.
I liked how raw the poem felt and it really describes how horrifying prison can be once you step foot inside it. It felt like you were casually speaking to me about the experience, thank you for sharing!
Your emotions come through in this peom. The reader can feel what you feel and it gives the poem so much more meaning. The expression you use makes it passionate and have feeling. It gives it character like it moves so smoothy as you read. It shows the reader how frustrated you are and how passionate you are about how you feel. I can’t wait to read other poems you have written.
It’s so important to voice our frustrations and angers. I love how freely and openly you write, understanding perspectives is a great way to expand our minds. Stay strong and keep writing, I would love to hear more of your experiences.
Great job capturing the harsh reality of being imprisoned and the dehumanizing experiences that come with it. I can feel your determination to reclaim your life on the outside. Your poem serves as a powerful reminder about the human need of compassion to all. Great job!
I can feel the anger and frustration in this poem and I love how you describe some things.
I can feel the anger and discourage in this poem, I hope you are doing okay!
This is a very impactful poem – it evokes strong emotions. I can feel the frustration of being stripped of your identity through your writing. Keep on going!