Poem: Welcome
By: EG Ted Davis
Welcome young man.
You have been found
guilty of being born,
thrust from your mother’s womb,
first breath of penitentiary life.
For this crime, you shall
be given a life sentence-
within this atmospheric dome.
A sagging lopsided hanging sign,
outside, tells all who enter this place;
that it is called Earth.
Is it a hell or a heaven,
left to your own choosing.
How you conduct yourself
here will determine the
conditions of your release.
If you obey the warden’s
written rules, to the Word,
you shall be released and
have freedom forever.
But fail to conduct yourself
according to the appropriate
manners, and you shall be
banished to a cold dark place,
where your thirst
shall go unquenched,
your guts shall wrench.
You shall lash out at
figures and glowing eyes.
You shall claw at the
rock lined walls,
with your untrimmed nails.
And there shall you stay,
forever and ever, amen.