Poetry in Prison

Darren, who recently joined our arts mentoring scheme, shared his thoughts about the importance of poetry in prisons to celebrate our crowdfunder for our upcoming poetry anthology, Koestler Voices: New Poetry from Prisons, Volume 5.

My name is Darren and I’m on the Koestler Arts Mentoring Program.

Being incarcerated isn’t the hardest thing about prison. There are tougher prisons in life we need to break out of. It’s been 20 years since I served my last prison sentence, but I was trapped in the prison of my mind for over 40.

Only recently have I found a key to open the door and venture outside. The transition to freedom of mind is much like re-entering the community after a long sentence: unfamiliar, daunting, lonely, and full of challenges. Writing became my key to liberation; a liminal space between the old life and the one I hoped to build. I couldn’t go back. There was no “back” to return to. And there was no clear future either.

Writing nudged me toward the unknown. It was terrifying and exhilarating, like getting a release date after a long stretch. One must move forward. Like taking that first step out of the prison gates, I began putting pen to paper. One word was the first step, then another. I’m walking now. That first step was hope. That’s how every new chapter should begin. The second was faith. Then the story starts to write itself.

I discovered poetry in a secure rehab setting. Pain has a way of forcing reflection. It helps you assess where things went wrong and urges you to face the truth.

Poetry unlocked doors I could never open before. Understanding my emotions became the truest form of rehabilitation. It let me reimagine and rewrite my story.

Writing your way to freedom is the greatest release date a man like me can ask for.

I wish I had found poetry in prison 20 years ago. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently. Then again, maybe I needed the full story to become the man I am. I suspect my poetry wouldn’t have the same depth without the pain behind it.

This new chapter has given me purpose. I now volunteer for two criminal justice charities, mentoring people post-release and facilitating spoken word poetry workshops. Poetry gives a voice to pain and offers a catharsis other art forms sometimes can’t. It’s also accessible to almost anyone.

Through Koestler, I’ve found a platform to share my message: hope despite despair. There’s a real need for this. If a person finds purpose and a way to express themselves in positive ways–especially to release trauma–then they can escape the prison of the mind. That’s a more powerful form of emancipation.

That’s why this poetry anthology is so important. People in prison need a place to go with their pain. Having their poetry platformed might be the spark of hope someone needs.

Who knows where that seed will land? It might just offer the little freedom they’ve been waiting for.

For me, it means the prison of my past no longer holds me.