Prisoner To Poet: Thoughts of An Incarcerated Soul 2nd Edition

By Devin D. Coleman

Prisoner to Poet is about a transition.  I went from a college campus to the dormitory of a correctional institution.  It was shocking.  While inside the institution I had to figure out how to pay my debt to society as well figuring out a path to redemption.  I then transitioned from Prisoner to Poet.  I used my pen and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sister & Sampson Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Mar 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781732369917

Devin D. Coleman

Devin D. Coleman was attending Florida A&M University before a bad decision caused his incarceration. Using his time wisely he wrote his thoughts on paper bringing forth this volume of poetry. After his incarceration he continued his education at Edward Waters College where he made the Dean's List in 2004 and 2007. He currently resides in his hometown of Jacksonville, FL where he is working on a novel.

Book preview

Preface

Before you read this book, you must understand that I wrote these poems when I was lost, confused, and in a great deal of pain. I was separated from life as I knew it, and then stripped of my identity, dignity, and self-pride. I am not proud of everything that I have done, but I regret nothing. The trying times, as well as the bad decisions, are as much of my make-up as are the triumphs and progress I’ve made since my release.

As you read these poems, take them for what they are worth. At times they are my thoughts and my feelings, and at times a cry for help. Now I take full responsibility for my actions, knowing that I define myself… and not by the expectations of others, no matter how good or bad. Sit back and enjoy the journey through Prisoner to Poet: Poetry and Prose.

Devin D. Coleman

www.devindcoleman.com

Connect with me:

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn – @devindcoleman

Section I

A Mile in My Shoes

Remember Me?

Family

Reflections

I’ve Been (Yet I Believe)

I Offer No Excuses

Struggling to Love Myself

Rear View Mirror

Solitude’s Stare

When No One Cares

Suicidal Thoughts

Alone in the Dark

Hollow Eyes

A Secluded Place

Fighting for My Life

Shell of a Man

A Diamond in the Rough

A Mile in My Shoes

All the poems in this book reflect something that I’ve experienced or witnessed. Going from the Free World to living behind The Fence is a culture shock to say the least. It makes you think about things that were once a part of your life that is no more and may never be again. At times it causes you to turn the mirror on yourself and look deep. This section explores how I felt about myself, the way I perceived my treatment from others, and how that created a shift in my mentality. At this time in my life, I was separated from my family and all my loved ones. I was stripped of my rights and my dignity. I was a broken man, lost and trying to find himself, alone in a place that didn’t care what happened to him. Right or wrong, appropriate or not, these were my thoughts. I share them with you unfiltered - all I ask in return is that you don’t judge me, until you walk a mile in my shoes.

A Mile in My Shoes was a tough poem for me to write. I had just taken a plea to avoid a trial in which (at the time) I had very little confidence I’d win. How did I get here? I was always a good kid. I loved school, participated in extracurricular activities (academics and athletics), went to college… but instead, when I should be preparing for graduation, I was unexpectedly faced with a decision that would alter my life, either facing a life sentence or taking the plea. Should I take a plea sending me to prison or should I go to trial and risk a longer sentence? While going through the jury selection process, I decided to just take the plea. It was a hard choice and there was no shortage of advice, but ultimately the choice was mine and I had to live with that decision.

My decision having been made and the consequences rendered, now looming questions plagued my mind: Where do I go from here? Where did I go wrong? What could I have done differently? Why me?

A Mile in My Shoes

What you don’t know can’t hurt you?

That’s a bunch of ****!

Had I known what my mistakes

Would cost me,

I wouldn’t be in this predicament.

It began before I could pinpoint it.

Came to light after I took my plea.

One that I considered family

Was my worst enemy.

Circumstances and situations

Play over and over in

My head.

As I lay in this prison bed

Wearing prison blues, I’m

Grateful that I finally realized

That

I’ve been misled.

Lead your own life!

Make your own decisions!

You must live with them!

Besides…fulfilling costs too much.

All of this played in my head

And I still listened.

Not just about one thing, but everything.

That’s what happens when your

Biological father isn’t there.

You’re left longing for a relationship

With a man. So, you attach