UP-SIDE DOWN FOOT_PRINTS
UP-SIDE DOWN FOOT_PRINTS
BY NOLAN JAMES BRIDEN
Footprints drawn across ceiling-wall-floor
Spiraling mines where my mind lays wait
Waiting for the hurry up………………………………………………………….
And wait date
of times-futures — unknowns
There’s a crack across the ceiling
Where I imagine air seeps in
Expanding the mortar of cement structure
With the moisture of tears un-calling
With the weeping moisture of tears Fallen
Boilings-waters-overflows
Extending the rage boiling
Boiling water over-Flowing
Fault lines of cracks that show life’s fault lines
And who’s fault is it anyway
My Fault
Your Fault
Their Fault
Our Fault
And Nobody’s Fault — as that’s just life
Foot prints “His-story” of history reaping
Radical acceptance — I seek higher understanding
as I stand in the rains of grief’s hurt
Pains-Griefs-Hurts
Left in the craters of life. Sentenced. Time.
The tiny circular holes in the cell — Front mock back
Ten thousand one hundred and thirty-four
To be exact
Trust me, I counted
And been counted 1…2…many times to counts
“Count time count time
Be sitting or standing
COUNTING TIME!”
Holes left resting, in holes of the narrative written
My life story, always someone else’s write
And my righteous — unrighteous writing
Written to depict the bad guy being bad
Yet, what of the good guy being good?
Artful ways of liberations
Lead to liberations of truth’s creation:
“My hands are behind my back
This is a peaceful protest
These condition of confinement ain’t right”
A captive held in captivity shouts out:
Boiling water over flow
Boiling water over flows
Boiling water over flowing
With all the up-side
Down
Foot_prints | NB
NOLAN JAMES BRIDEN IS OF BLACKFEET AND IRISH HERITAGE. HE IS A MEMBER OF THE LAKOTA OYATE-KI CULTURE CLUB AT OREGON STATE PENITENTIARY AND HE IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE GROUND BENEATH US WRITING GROUP.
