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Three poems

“Crying Johnny,” “Officer Judy Gives Instructions to the Lock Down Inmates,” & “Holiday Special Meal”

Leon Johnson poetry header2

Crying Johnny

Johnny in Cell 38, is crying.
Johnny says his girl don’t
Love him anymore.

Johnny cry Just about all
Day long. He eats a little
Bit, but most of the time,
He push his food tray
Away.

Johnny told River Man,
That She was the best
Girl that he ever had.
But now since She is
Gone, Johnny say it
Hurt him unseemly.

Johnny is crying now
As I read this book.
So I have some
Sympathy for Johnny
As he run through this
Brief period of grief.


Officer Judy Gives Instructions to the Lock Down Inmates

Officer Judy tell these
nasty and lazy prisoners
In L-Building their ZONE
Need cleaning up, real bad.

When Officer Judy makes
Her daily rounds to count,
She smell piss, toe jam
Dirty clothes, work out
Sweat, old food and
Do do, and Just old
Shower musk.

Officer Judy say, I want
Those beds made, I want
Floors swept and bleach
mop, toilets lysol clean,
bars dusted, and a steel
Brush, to scrub those
thick yellow stains off
Of that dirty wall.

Officer Judy, say clean
up, and walk off of
the ZONE.


Holiday Special Meal

During the holidays here
In prison. The meals are
Prepared and fix Just
Right.

You got the delicious
corn bread and turkey
Dressing, Slice turkey,
Turkey gravy, smooth
And tasty sweet potato
Pie, slice of ham, Potato
Salad, and a mouth
watering chocolate cake
with white icing, and butter
pecan ice cream.

There are about six
Officers standing in the
Dining hall, as we eat.
Watching from side to
Side, and from end to
End, Just so no man
Double back, for some
more of that Special
meal.

Image: Izumi / Unsplash