Prison Poetry Reading
I was asked to read poetry
At a prison
Which I've done
Several times before
Oddly or maybe
Not so oddly enough
A prison poetry reading
Is usually much better
Than the average
Cafe poetry reading
Not only are the inmates
Superior poets
They're a responsive audience
In that they listen more intently
Resulting in charged atmosphere
Where weight is given
To every word
As opposed to the
Polite lip service
At the coffee klatch gatherings
Maybe you have to feel
A sense of desperation
For poetry to mean more
Than mere world play
But a vehicle
To carry you
To a better place
Originally from Brooklyn, Dave Ochs has spent the majority of his adult life in Santa Maria. He's published more than 100 poems since 1996 and is a frequent reader on California's Central Coast. He has taught poetry in prison and now works with the Poetic Justice Project, teaching workshops for offenders and ex-offenders.
