Transcript
The Con A Poem by Shane Kohut A.K.A. "Napoleon" Years pass slowly by; memories past have faded. "Friends" come & go, as the Con becomes more jaded. He used to have a lot. Now he has but little. Time is the sharpened knife; the Con - a stick to whittle. Every year he loses more. What he gains is lost. A heart once filled with warmth, is now covered with frost. So hard to accept, being pushed further away. The miles that separate, grow larger every day. The Con searches for an out; some sort of quick egress. Something to relieve, his ever building stress. Surrounded by four walls; A corner at every turn. No exit, no escape... No matter how he yearns. Eight lonely years down; seventeen more to go. The Con is a bit downtrodden, but he'll never let it show. Chin to the sky - head held high... it's not a pose nor front. He must accept the life he has, though it's not the one he wants. Big plans - bigger dreams... quickly laid to waste. Serenity never captured, regardless how he chased. Future goals - not so grand... And so very far away. Can't focus on the years, When living day by day. The concrete jungle holds his attention. Danger always lurks. Snakes slither & dreams whither; just two of prison's "perks." Turn your back for just a second, someone implants a knife. Slip & trip - fortunes flip... quickly lose your life. The con puts it all on the line, with every step he takes. He puts much thought into, every decision that he makes. He didn't use to be this way. He was careless, reckless too. No thoughts of consequences. He did what he wanted to. Youth wasted in the pen; he grew up around the scum. Pressure came from every angle... still he wouldn't succumb. Prison became his home. The streets never felt quite right. When he was out & about, he had friends galore. However, those friends were fickle, and aren't around anymore. The con isn't on his own. He has family & bro's on his side. But he's yet to find a woman, who's strong enough to ride. A few have come & gone. None have lasted long. They disappear without notice... same ol' tired song. So the con travels on, living day by day. Holding on to the things, they cannot take away... Honor, pride & courage; loyalty to his kin; the love for his bro's, who are spread throughout the pen; memories of days gone by; hope for better days ahead; his will to carry on; the thoughts within his head; how he smiles when times are bad; the joy he finds in little things; his dreams of being free, and the peace that it brings. The Con is an enigmatic man - hard to figure out. Unless you've walked in his shoes, you know not what he's about. 5-19-14
