Poetry has the power to capture and merge different aspects of a person's life, allowing for reflection and transformation.
The poem in the podcast sheds light on the ongoing impact of punishment on families and calls for a person-first approach and societal justice.
Deep dives
A Collapsing of Time and Healing through Poetry
The podcast highlights the power of poetry to capture and merge different aspects of a person's life. By exploring the pain of the past, the healing of the present, and the aspirations for the future, poetry offers a conversation between these elements. The speaker emphasizes the challenges, yet the transformative nature of this process.
Scenes of Time and Identity
The podcast points out that the poem examines various scenes in which time plays a crucial role. These scenes include a man awake at 2 am with his son, experiences at a bar, reflections on being locked up, witnessing his son's basketball game, reminiscing about his own father's absence, the revelation of his crimes to his older son, and finally, finding solace with his younger son. Through these scenes, the poem reveals different aspects of the speaker's identity and the tender connection between vulnerability and masculinity.
Critiquing the Criminal Justice System and Language
The podcast delves into the broader critique of the criminal justice system presented in the poem. The poet highlights the ongoing impact of punishment on families beyond the custodial sentence, questioning the concept of redemption in a system that seems to lack it. Furthermore, the poem invites reflection on the language used to discuss the experiences of those caught in the criminal justice system and calls for a person-first approach and societal justice. The poem sheds light on the need to reevaluate the way society speaks about and supports individuals and families affected by incarceration.
This ‘Essay on Reentry’ charts life after prison: and the way that others keep your sentence alive even when you’re wishing to just get on with your own life. It’s about secrets and choice and disclosure. And in the midst of all this, there is also love between a son and his dad, a son like a “straggling angel, / lost from his pack finding a way to fulfill his / duty.”
