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You make me a better man in a thousand plus waysThe Love we share is priceless and it can’t be replacedOnly made stronger by the problems that we have facedBeing in here has shown me that I need you more than water, more than airSo I dedicate my heart and soul to you as I close my eyes in prayer:Lord, please watch over this amazing woman. May no harm come her way.Let her find peace in all she does as she goes about her day.Let her find Love and Consolation in the letters that I write.May she know I’m with her in my Dreams when I close my eyes at night.Let her feel Trust and Respect of the kind she’s never knownAnd fill her with Your Strength and Understanding should she ever feel aloneLet her know that there’s no limit to the Happiness the two of us will feelWhile we share our lives so deeply in Love because what we have is real.Let her rest assured she will never be alone againThese things I pray Father in Jesus’ name. Amen.Five Finger Poetry: How much can you say if you only have five words to say it all? There aretwo forms: 1) poems that sound like a real sentence and 2) image style that may seem disjointedbut are all about one topic.Examples of sentence style:

I can’t think of anything.This poem will not rhyme.Where will this story go?Laugh and life laughs back.Change the world? Yeah, right.Does Jesus believe in me?Oh, your silence speaks volumes.I miss my kids lots.Crystal meth took my teeth.Examples of image style Five Finger poems:Spark, flame, curtains, crib, sirens.Birds, mist, vegetation, mountains, Hawaii.Sunburn, tourists, babes, beach, paradise.Stadium, cheers, plays, beers, touchdown!

Commercials, comedies, game shows, news.Bass, guitar, drums, horns, keyboards.Reboots, downloads, searches, websites, spam.Alliteration: This is a poetic device that often comes up in writing poems. Alliteration is therepetition of beginning sounds in a line, usually two or three or more. It’s sort of like tonguetwisters such as “Peter Piper picked papayas.” To get used to using Alliteration, have everyone,including yourself, come up with several examples. They could then build a poem around theirfavorite alliterative phrase.Examples:The wind came whipping in the window.Clouds clinging like mountain climbers.Would you feel confident in a curtained cubicle?Tell Ted to treat his teacher tenderly.He held his outstretched arms over the ocean.You’ve got to put the pain of imprisonment in perspective.My heart moved the moment I met her.

Don’t despise the downtrodden drunks, dykes and dragqueens.Assonance: Assonance is rhyming words within a line. Again, each person tries to come upwith several of their own examples.Examples:I say you’ve got to pay to play.It’s fine if you want to rhyme every line.Those three trees are diseased.I’ve heard some people say they plan to be gay for their stay.Go slow if you don’t know the road.Haiku: Haiku poems are all about saying a lot with only a few words, following a pattern,counting syllables and not having to rhyme. Suggested topics: prison, nature, or memories.Examples of 5-7-5 syllable pattern:Count the syllablesAnd you can write a haikuThat will amaze youWe are the poets

Our words move everyone hereCome and join the funThis poem will be briefI only have a few wordsTo say everythingKayaking coastlinesAt the mercy of the windCliffs and birds and wavesI must challenge youUse that imaginationTo write a haikuNew day, some old shitHit by the fact I’m not freeAnd yet still I riseExamples of 3-5-3 syllable pattern:Without loveI am locked awayIn darknessThis is hardI just can’t do thisI’m brain dead.

I’ve hatedIncarceratedThings must changeIt’s just wordsBut these words can hurt:Go awaySilent screamsNo one hears but meWhat is real?“It’s All about Me”: These are poems expressive of self. Have the class finish the followingphrases. The end result will be an autobiographical poem. It’s OK to give more than one endingfor each phrase. (For example, “I’m a brother, a lover and one mean mother hummer.”)I am I want I believe I will not I dream I remember

I would love Example:I am proud of youI want to encourage you to writeTo express yourself and have some funI believe everyone’s a poet if they want to beI will not betray your thoughtsOr step on your soulI dream of prison poetry slamsAnd new found voicesI remember how writing has blessed my lifeAnd I’m thankfulI would love it if this inspires youChallenges youAnd brings you joy.Another example:I am unusual and that’s ok by me.

I want to be young but wiseI believe everyone has a story worth hearingI will not shut up when something needs to be said (no filter)I hope heaven waits and we all make it to the Pearly GatesI hate evil in all formsAnd I remember how my heart moved with first loveAnd the many first time smiles of my lifeI would love to feel that way again.Poetry of IF: Follow the pattern below to create your own “IF” poems:If I were a (blank one) and you, a (blank two),Could we.(rhyme with blank two)?Examples:If I were locked up, and you were the keyAll that you are would taste like freedom to me.If I were a poem, and you were the rhyme

Would you give me your love, your laughter, your time?If I were parched earth, and you were the rainWould you bring me to life again and again?If I were the sun, and you were the moonWould you fade away each morning singing a sad parting tune?If you were a cloud, and I was the skyWould you smile at me as you float on by?If I were dying and you were death,Could we play cards ‘til my last breath?If you were an apple, and I was your treeWould you be my friend, and ‘hang around’ with me?If you were sorrow and I was laughter,Could I make you smile, ‘cause that’s what I’m after.If I was time and you were tears,I’d help you dry even if it took years.If I were in prison and you were free,Would you visit here and write poems with me?Example of a modified form:

If I am an addict, you’re my drug of choiceIf you were a mute, I’d be your voiceIf you were soap, I’d be shampooIf I was a panda, you’d be bambooIf you were a twelve pack, I’d be drunkAnd if you were a tutor, I’d purposely flunkIf you were sick, I’d be your medicineAnd if you needed a pick-me-up, I’d be your adrenalineIf you were a pencil, I’d be paperIf I was a captive, you’d be my saviorIf you were a drummer, I’d be a bassistAnd if you were black, then I wouldn’t be racistIf you were a cop, I’d swear off cocaineIf you were Love, I’d be CobainIf you were formula one, I’d be a bloody racerAnd if you were pleasingly plump, then I’d be a chubby chaserIf I was rhyme, you’d be reasonIf you were a spy, I’d commit treason

If you were a dog, I’d give you a boneAnd if you were ice cream, I’d lick your coneIf I was peanut butter you’d be jellyIf I was a fly you’d be smellyIf you were a movie, I’d watch you in slow moIf you were a man, man, I’d be a homoIf I was a question, then you’d be the answerAnd if you were carcinogens, I’d risk getting cancerIf I was Adam then you’d be EveIf you were organized religion, then I would believe.Another example:If I were some rocksAnd you were a pipe,Would it be bubbles of troublesfor the rest of my life?If I were “IF”

And you were “NOT,”Would we end up with NOTHING?Or would we have A LOT?If I were loveAnd you were sorrow,Would you bring me to tears?Would I give you hope for tomorrow?Sense Poems: Utilize taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight images in a poem.Example: “Freedom Is”FreedomIsA hug knee-high from a three year oldFreely givenIt’s the harmony of voices raised in song.The scent of barbeque in the neighborhood.A cold beer on a hot dayThis is America through my eyes

Another example:The Grid-Irony of it all: FootballAll the pretty painted people in the crowded standsCrowds standing and waving their hands and cheeringHot dogging and beering, you can smell it and hear it if you dare to go near itA stadium to rival the coliseum filled with losers and boozersHipsters and tripsters, chug-a-luggers and babes in hip huggersBurgers and nachos: taste it.College kids in flo-jos: wasted.Achy-breaky plastic seats carve canyons in your butOh hell, what’s that smell? Did you futt?How can you be so lame?How am I supposed to keep my mind on the game?If you ain’t gonna cheer at least you can go get me another beer/HOMEWORK: Compose Haikus on the theme of prison, nature or memories.

Second SessionAsk for volunteers to share their homework on Haiku poems on a prison or nature theme. If novolunteers, the teacher should be prepared to read some examples:3 Just be mine5 To be for all time3 You’ll be fineHelp me, LordComfort my brothersAnd bring joy.This is funDancing in the sunTime to runDeal with itWe are the poetsIn da house!Don’t forgetYour love is deadlySo kill meYes, you canThen you remember,No, you can’t

5 Here in this prison7 Yes, there’s poetry5 That would amaze youWe all can expressThe thoughts we have in our heartsAnd that sets us freeIn-car-sir-ate-tedThe birds fly free but not meWill I disappear?If I only dieA legacy of lost wordsNever to be heardAcrostic poems: Choose a powerful word or name and write it vertically down the page incapital letters. Then write phrases about that topic starting with each of the capital letters. Hereare some suggestions for words for Acrostics: Peace. Earth, Friends, Fun, Music, Pain, Time,Anger, Prison, Faith, Money, Sorrow, or Freedom.Examples:People may call us crazyOnly we know from where it flowsEach of us has our own storyTell the worldRejoice in your wordsYes you are the poets today and tomorrow.

Just chillin’ and killin’ timeAll I want is outside these walls and wireI live for the day I walk awayLiving free, living wiser, living.Time, some say is relativeIt is no friend or family of mineMy time is what I make itEverybody knows your life is where you take it.Missing that woman who gave me lifeOnly her hugs will doMay we be together Mom, when this is through.Love every momentInvestigate life’s mysteriesValue othersEach day is enough timeFishing is funIf you’re catchingSunshine and natureHaving a good time with others or aloneI‘m not the best at itNow I kill only what I can eatGive me a kayak and a hand line and look out.

Examples: Acrostics on the theme of prison life:Phone ain’t loud enoughRadio reception is weakIf I’m sick then you’re sickShower stall’s too smallOur case manager never comes inNext week’s a world awayPut away, out of sight, out of mindRights? You’ve got to be kidding.Insane people, angry people, sad sortsSo much time with so little to doOn my days off, I travelNo one knows what it’s likePatience is requiredRelentless boredomInternalizing it allSeldom hear any laughterOld ideas shaping our punishmentNegativity through captivityPlease allow me my humanityReverse my willful waysIgnore any ignorance

Save me from myselfOnly I can find the answersNow I have time to think things throughPeople locked up, locked downRepeat offendersInsights unsoughtSame stuff, different dayOh, how I miss my lifeNever again, Lord, never againPaying societal duesReally would rather be anywhere elseIsolated from friends and familySad sometimes beyond hopeOnly I can change my worldNow is the only time I haveFinish the phrase poem: Ask each person to finish some or all of the following phrases. Theycan later edit it and arrange the phrases in any order:I’m an inmate but I’ve learned to survive by I’m motivated by I get angry when

When I’m free I want to I’ve changed my outlook I spend a lot of time thinking about I’ve come to appreciate Create your own conclusion.Finish the Phrase poem example:Do More Then SurviveI’m an inmate but I’m so much moreI’m not the same guy I was beforeI’ve learned to surviveYes, I’m staying aliveBy learning each dayAnd I take time to prayI’m motivated by all these people I’ve metGood examples or bad, I hope I never forgetI get angry when someone gets in my face

There’s already too much drama and stress in this placeWhen I’m free, I want to make all new friendsAnd spend some time making amendsI’ve changed my outlook, learned to stay focused on meAnd the kind of man I’ll be when I’m freeI spend a lot of time just thinking aboutThe things that I miss, what I’ll do when I’m outI’ve come to appreciate the small miracles each dayThe sun, the wind, kind words to sayI want to do more than surviveAnd I’m determined to striveTo love, and to love just being alive.Rapid Rhyme: This poem sounds like rapping, using multiple internal rhymes. It tends to useshort phrases, and the rhythm can very.Examples:Doin’ fineWriting poems to pass the timeWe rhyme and we read itWe want it

We need itWon’t waitTo createWithin these wallsWe won’t call homeWe are living inside every poem.Another example:MoneyWell, you talk about incomeI’d sure like someA little dough, don’t you know and we could get downbut there’s just not enough green stuff around, we’re talkin’ moneyI’ve got a coupon, can I win that prizeAt your bargain basement computer compromise?You got a sale I can save on everything I seeJust like the garbage on my home TVYou know I wanna buy it all though it’s working me deadI’m a TV kid with a TV headYes, I sit up with my set in the middle of the nightJust to fall asleep by the TV lightThen I wake up in the morning to the news each dayAnd they say everything’s a mess and it’ll never go awayAnd I get deeper in debt brother every dayMoney!Chinkle chankle, I’d like a whole bank full

I’d be so thankful, yea, for some moneyRaisin’ my rent, my money’s spentI hear there’s war in the government, I’m hopin’ for a settlementI don’t need napalm, A-bombs or H-bombs, battleships at sea or missiles over meI’m in love with my life and I’m happy just to liveAnd if I had money, no, I wouldn’t give it to blowin’ things up or tearin’ things downListen children, what’s that sound?Everybody gotta stop what’s goin’ down with your money, cuz it’s your moneyWe gotta tell those boys that the price of their toys is too high to payAnd everyone, everywhere, everyday needs moneyThere sure are a lot of rich people I knowGot more than they need but they never let it goNow, why don’t they share someIt’s only fair to spare some money for the people, when we’re talkin’ board and breadBesides, you can’t take it with brother when you’re deadIt’s only money.Another example:Long live liberty!Yes, liberty through diversity.We the peopleThe American massesThe hippies and rich dudesPacifists, Polygamists

Rednecks and nudistsIndians and engineersTweakers and toddlersTogether, we determine what it means to beThe land of the freeUs athletes and welfare mothersOld folks and astronautsFarmers and free thinkersCub scouts and drop outsPrisoners and pioneersWe each make up America the beautifulAnd each, in his and her own wayDefine and defendFreedom for all.And it takes all kindsAll kinds of peopleEach unlike any otherUnique so to speakExpectant mothersAnd Black Power brothersEntertainers and explainersTeachers and preachersStreet walkers and smooth talkers

Losers and boozers and crack cocaine usersSociety twitches with hand me down richesThe deaf, the dumb, the blind: All kinds!Thugs and muggersBabes in hip huggersBar flies and wise guysHipsters and TripstersAbusive men who are all push and shoveWomen who won’t leave them and call that lovePoliticians, morticians, Mormons on missions!Street musicians to please us, lawyers to squeeze usBosses who get rich off of other men’s sweatMovie stars to mollify us and help us forgetPolice with big sticksPoets with word tricksLet’s hear it for converts and convictsIt astounds the imaginationHow many different minds and kinds of people it takesto make a world, this worldSo let’s give thanks to all the men and womenwho lay down their lives in war after warno matter what those wars are for.

Give thanks to all those nine-to-fiversThe late arriversThe holocaust survivorsWho keep plugging awayWho are willing to payFor our multiple sins or our marvelous deedsGod bless every soul searching soul in needEvery man, woman, boy and girlWho make this such an interesting world.Repetition Poems: These poems have a line or phrase that repeats occasionally throughout thepoem. It should be a strong sentence that emphasizes an important message of the poem.Example of a Repetition Poem:“It’s all good”I see folks having funWritingAnd it’s goodExpressing our thoughtsOur concernsOurselvesAnd that’s goodSometimes we surprise ourselvesWith the ideas that just show up

And that feels goodAnd if writingbecomes a new toolfor enjoying our livesthat’s really good.Another example with repetition:Too MuchIt’s ok to drinkBut don’t drink too muchOr you may be seen as an alcoholicOr lose your jobCrash your carHit rock bottomIt’s ok to thinkBut don’t think too muchSpend all your time worryingRecycling the same hatreds and fearsIt’s ok to careBut don’t care too muchLest you lose yourself in othersSpending so much time feeding their needs

That you’re starvingIt’s ok to dreamBut don’t dream too muchBecome lost in fantasyMoments of imaginingNever touching realityAnd it’s ok to loveBecause you can’t love too muchAnd if you do, no one will mind.HOMEWORK: Write a repetition poem or two to bring to the next session.

Third SessionShare the repetition poem homework. These poems that have a line or phrase that repeatsoccasionally throughout the poem. It should be a strong sentence that emphasizes an importantmessage of the poem.Example of a repetition poem for sharing:You’re quick to laughAnd I like thatYou cheer me upGive of your timeEncourage me to do my bestAnd I like thatWe can enjoy each other’s companyEven when it seems there’s nothing to doBeing together is all that matters to usAnd I like thatAnd every now and thenYou tell me how important our friendship isAnd I like that best of all.Another example of a repetition poem:Forget Love

You can pray and preachBow and chantMeditate and contemplateBut don’t forget loveYou can climb mountainsAnd sit surrounded by bird song breezesBut please, don’t walk away from loveYou can talk to your friendse-mail everyone you knowbounce ideas off satellites in spacebut don’t forget to mention love winsYou can be rich and famousEnvied and pamperedAble to buy a slice of paradiseBut my advice is to spend som

welcome your ideas for writing topics and anything we can do to make our writing sessions more meaningful. Warm up by writing on a topic: These poems can be rhyming or free verse. Copy and hand out the list of topics and mention that the list can be used at any time they've got time on their hands and feel like writing. Be aware