Fighting the Ninja
Prison showers can be scary places. I’m not talking about those old “B” movie scenes where the big hairy guy with a handmade blade shanks the hapless prisoner for… More
An Escape Artist
At eight, I was a magicianable to slip from any confinement.After my stepfather beat meand imprisoned me in my bedroom,I decided to disappear,sneaking into the passagewaybetween the left brain… More
Escape from a Maximum Security Jail
Los Angeles County has the largest jail system in the world. Their maximum security unit, Highpower, is reserved for the most dangerous, notorious and high risk inmates. Highpowers are… More
The Season
The lawn’s a frigid jigsaw puzzle of frozen brown grass Shut in for winter I sip your best scotch Your car is listed for sale in the auto shopper There’s no tree… More
Frontline Reflections of a Drug War Journalist
My mouth is dry. I’ve been breathing open-mouthed, out of control. Once the rush of adrenaline subsides, my pulse will return to normal and my mouth will moisten again.A… More
Prison Eulogies
Prison EulogiesThe ones who diednever mattered muchexcept in herewhere the stories never endbecause they’re too realMichellewho beat her girluntil she got outand got her own selfkilledStellawho laughed & laugheduntil… More
The Double Edge
The Double EdgeThere is no shame in not surviving.Even as the blood is let outhonor and grace enter the vein.All heroes die for credibility.As for being a saint, Miguelo,it… More
Species of a Lesser God
Indelibly etched in the canyons of memory I can remember being herded onto the Grey Gooses as these prison transportation buses are commonly referred to throughout the California Penal… More
The Cobra’s Cross
CHARACTERSBlackmanStangYabbaOritaLil ManKenyaOld WomanOld ManFADE INExt: African village of Snakira—afternoon Snakira’s lone dusty road is reminiscent of an old western town with an Asian twist. An old man leading a… More
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