National Adult Literacy Database

March 10, 2008

The following poem was written by William DePerry, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. William is 24 years old and he is an Ojibwe.

The Prison Cell

by William DePerry

This hell in which I dwell in,
Is so very real,
The walls are made of concrete,
And the doors are made of steel.

I sit each night within my cell,
And pray for the daylight to arise,
But the emptiness I feel inside,
Is something I cannot hide.

If I could plan my future,
And know it would come true.
I'd go back to yesterday,
When there was a chance.

I'd leave this cell in which I live,
These walls in which I dwell,
And I'd never ever come back,
Within this living hell.

But I am just a simple man,
And their rules I must obey.
So here I am within this prison cell,
Is right where I must stay.

[“The Prison Cell” by William DePerry. Journeys of the Spirit III, p.28. Used with permission, from Ningwakwe Learning Press.]