Forever Lost

Jordan Simpson

Poetic Response

“Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the

Hospital for the Criminal Insane”

by Atheridge Knight  

5/2/2014

Forever Lost

The day grew late, as I had awaken from a short nap of my third floor bunk. Time escaped my mind, as I marked on my cell wall like a blackboard in grade school classroom. Chatter about how Hard Rock had been turned into a “normal” nigger quickly grasped the attention of us inmates. It seemed as though they had taken Hard Rock from our cell for a couple of weeks although it was only a couple of days. Time escaped my mind, as I waited on the return of my cell mate. The prison guards took their proper positions, as I could see Hard Rock making his way back to general population. Hard Rock approached the doors to general population and was quickly surrounded by armed security like a herd of wandering sheep.

I stood up in amazement, as the rigid and rough Hard Rock that I shared a bunk with was seemed to be replaced by a big, calm child. I reminisced about the encounters that I experienced, while bunking with the Hard Rock himself. The vicious shankings that I witnessed and the countless number of days spent in the hole seemed to be replaced by a large fellow full of innocence. Hard Rock entered into the doors, and the testing quickly took place. I nervously watched from my cell, as the guards instructed an incarcerated hillbilly to tease Hard Rock like a ill-mannered child. The hillbilly viciously yelled, “you black son of a bitch”, and Hard Rock did nothing.  I quickly became astonished, as I was aware that this was not the same Hard Rock that I shared a bunk with couple of days ago.  The testing proceeded by the guards.

The prison guards mumbled to Hard Rock, “What’s your first  name?”. After about three delayed minutes Hard Rock replied. My spirit was crushed knowing that the Hard Rock that I once knew was replaced by a mindless vegetable. What ever operations or procedures they performed on Hard Rock would never leave him the same. The outraged, strong- voiced Hard Rock that we once knew would never walk the cold floors of our cell. Although we had heard that Hard Rock was finally a “normal” nigger, there was nothing normal about this Hard Rock that have been placed through these tests. The Hard Rock that I knew was known not to take any shit from anybody and I was even known to risk his freedom to prove it. However, as I laid back in bunk the thoughts of the “real” Hard Rock began to evaporate from my mind. All of the countless days spent in the same hole seemed to disappear, and the only thing that remained was the large, scarred body of Hard Rock. The guards escorted this new figure back to my cell and the mindless Hard Rock stared at me for minutes.  After looking at what was Hard Rock for a couple of minutes, I quickly turned over in my bunk and gazed at the marked up wall. The destroyer and doer of things that I once knew was forever lost.

Simile:  I marked on my cell wall like a blackboard in grade school classroom

Metaphor: Hard Rock that I once knew was replaced by a mindless vegetable

Alliteration: The prison guards took their proper positions

Consonance: I stood up in amazement, as the rigid and rough Hard Rock that I shared a bunk with was seemed to be replaced by a big, calm child

Assonance: All of the countless days spent in the same hole seemed to disappear and the only thing that remained