Whose, Who
By BW
Can you see, see?
Whose really free, free?
We are caged, people are caged, animals are caged
This keeps me so, so raged!
Because the plague, plague raged, that, that
Caged, caged…
Counties, communities, cities, countries
All plagued, plagued, even the dead
Rage that ignited rage, that swept, kept
Many caged and when we turn the page…
We see, see, so many have aged from being caged
People urged to stay caged from the plague that
Swooped in like the rage, and ate away the aged
Rage that invades men, women, children, and moves
So rude, that the people intrude—intruding –
They storm, swarm, and looking enraged…
Trying to overturn and overhang
Now they too are among the raged that is caged
From east to west, to north to south
From shelter, to apartment, to house, to hospital
To nursing home, to jail cell, to prison cell
All feeling like hell, in the midst of this spell
That has left the rest in a shell, telling tales
We’re all caged, with rage, all on edge
Wonder, wondering when, when, when, you, me
And we can be free, free, free…
We all want…
Can you see, whose really free, free, free or do you see?
11 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.
BW – very clear strength on the themes you want in the readers’ mind – anger, sickness, and incarceration – and an interesting tying together of the relationship between those three things – one mental, one physical, and one spiritual – or perhaps plague, rage, and cage all have a physical, emotional, and spiritual element. The question I am left with is – what is freedom? Is it the absence of the rage, the cage, and the plague – or is it the presence of something else?
Wow! Such a powerful poem. I can feel the pain and emotion. Beautifully written. You’re very talented.
Hi BW!
Love the flow of this poem. The repetition is nice and adds depth and emphasis to the poem. The emotion in the poem is also very powerful. I really like this poem. Keep it up.
BW,
Thank you for sharing this. Your use of repetition and rhyme help convey the urgency and frustration in your poem. I can feel what you feel. I hope writing gives you a sense of freedom! Keep using your talents.
Beautiful work! Line three could use some punctuation! Make sure you end each line with punctuation if it is the end of the line and begin a line you are continuing from a prior one with a lowercase letter if this is what you are trying to coney! Great poem!
I feel your rage in this poem. Your poem has a lot of details and a lot of meaning.
Keep up the good work!!
This is a phenomenal poem! The alliteration, repetition, and rhymes are all very strong. I understand the pain and frustration that comes from the poem. It invokes a lot of emotion as it brings light to the injustice of the incarceration system and how it affects individuals. It truly is just a beautiful poem.
The longing for freedom, the liberation from the system I can feel through your words. The struggle you feel is real and does not fall upon deaf ears. We must all walk a path and attempt to break free from our binds in order to reach a higher understanding and a higher meaning for what we want out of our lives. You have a gift of knowing and being able to see where and how people are locked in cages and you have the desire to be free of that. In this respect you are ahead of the game as many will never know that they are even in a cage. And having that realization is the first step. I wish you luck and peace my friend.
Dear BW
Such a powerful piece of work. Nice flow and beautiful structure. I truly enjoyed reading this and related to it very much. Please keep working at it. It is very strong and powerful. I love the work. I truly hope you keep going.
Your words are powerful, BW. I could feel a fire ignite inside me as I read your words. That rage building up inside me, asking the question: who is really free? Sadly, I think I might already know. Additionally, I think it’s interesting you use a possessive “whose.” It’s a neat double entendre that you only get when you read the poem. You can’t get it just from listening. You have to read it, see it. To me that’s what you mean when you ask the reader if they can see. You’re asking me if I can see the the who you’re talking about is not just a “who is” incarcerated. but also a “whose incarcerated.” People in cages don’t own themselves, someone else does.
I felt the same way. Inmates aren’t considered people by some. Everyone has emotions and that’s what make them human. It’s wrong to keep someone closed. This expresses the authors feelings and their story. It rhymes with passion.