The First

~If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.~

I must thank the faithful readers for their patience as I work through this emotional minefield. Peeling the Different Prisons' onion (story) has become a process for me. In one or two chapters (episodes), I bare my soul and share an experience with the readers.

Afterward, I feel raw and exposed. I follow up with a chapter or episode of poetry. This breathing period allows me to relax and enjoy my writing in preparation for the next gut-wrenching piece.

When considering creating D.P., I wondered if the concept would work. Many friends told me that nonfiction never sells and is the worst possible genre to publish.

However, my goal isn't to win awards or write a best-seller. My goal was to tell the stories of my incarcerated students, and those self-esteem awards are insignificant.

As long as you (the readers) stay with me through this personal roller coaster ride, I promise to keep writing. Thank you on behalf of our sponsored charity, Entrepreneurial Services for Felons (ESF). Every penny earned from this story (and everything I have written) is directly donated to ESF. Please know that your readership and donations equal second chances and redemption.

End of self-promotional marketing...

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From the Author... 

I love ekphrastic work, writing, and poetry. Writing is a craft and an art form. All forms of art are interconnected. I see a piece that interests me and create an entire story around that piece. It happens in art all the time, especially in ekphrastic creations.

Also, vice versa. For example, an artist reads a book or poem, is moved by it, and creates a painting or sculpture depicting what the writing made them feel and see. Another example is the art form of music. I like to listen to music when I write. It helps me set a mood. I select what music I listen to and match it to the perspective of the poem or story I want to write.
I wrote this poem during the COVID-19 epidemic. It was not a good time to be in Ohio prisons.
The prisons have been impacted more than most. The teacher-student relationship is complex yet fascinating. Their fathers abandoned the majority of incarcerated students. They grew up on the streets, aching for a male role model.

Unfortunately, this led many of them to participate in gangs. For most of my students, a college degree is their way out of street life. They must return to the basics of learning and earn a GED.
In March 2019, all college teachers were ordered out of Ohio prisons. These students are the first members of their families to attend college, and for many, their college teacher may be the first male authority figure they develop a relationship with.

In Ohio, it was estimated that 90 % of the felons had COVID. The only locations where there have been more reported deaths than Ohio's prisons are their nursing homes.

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I gave this poem to The American Diversity Report (ADR), a charitable organization that promotes diversity. It was an article for their report called The First by Dr. Thomas Davison, story by John C. Mannone, Posted on March 12, 2021. The original picture was of a perfect-looking clay model of a man who fell to the ground and broke into thousands of pieces. I later rewrote an updated version called- Clay.

Clay (an ekphrastic poem)

I dreamed that God crafted a man 

in His own image 

He toiled with earthly clay 

An informal, undemanding material

His first endeavor appeared a mighty creation indeed 

So.... He breathed life into the earthen Golem 

Stretched down 

Raised up 

His construction to the heavens 

For a stricter judgment

What He perceived 

Displeased Him greatly

He spread His great hand 

To permit His handiwork to plunge into the world below 

Where it shattered into countless pieces

God sighed 

Then stooped 

To attempt once again

END