Street roots., June 16, 2017, Page 14, Image 14

S tre et Roots • Ju n e 16-22, 2017
Poetry
Page 14
A Felon on the Run
by Nash Hasan
A flight risk
An inmate in a bulletproof vest
Refusing to consent
Determined to contest
All of the charges and arrest
Travelling,
Night by night
Underneath
The stars and moonlight
Camouflaged
In blue jeans and a baseball cap
Helping him
Appear and disappear
Quickly into the crowds
Entertaining, at people gatherings
In small towns and camp grounds
Singing them songs
Of a young man he met along his travelling
Appearing innocent and calm
Not posing him any harm
Yet, seemingly wary
Of anyone befriended him
Most of those whom he trusted
Were informants
Trying to rob him before he got busted
A felon on the run
Trusting of no one
Polite and bright
Despite,
His cold-hardened heart
Tiny built and small
Yet, mighty ruthless in a brawl
Hungry and lean
A runaway teen
Breaking into vending machines
For candy to eat
And coins to keep
A rocky start at thirteen
A savvy hustler by sixteen
He made lots of money
But lost it quickly in a hurry
As he began falling
Into vicious cycles
Of fines and crimes
Hardly worth him serving time
Skipping his hearings
Neglecting court sentencing
Violating parole instructions
Getting caught with possession
Not giving a damn about anything
Cause, he already had lost everything
Surrendering to suicidal thoughts
Trusting there is no way out
Crying out loud
“What this fuck is it all about?”
Nobody gave a damn
About my sorry ass
As a homeless child in Burbank
Or living on the streets
Of Portland’s felony flats
Many inmates in jails or prisons
Or out on the streets living
Became convicted felons
Before they were twenty-one
Born bruised
Raised abused
Grew up confused
Addicted to drugs and booze
Ended up making the news
As convicts of no use
Addressing the problems
Of felons and felonies
By the voting majority
Is a sign of insanity
The dilemma in reality
To the formula of morality
Is lacking parental liability
And societal accountability
Instead of schools in the first pla(
Is a disgrace to the human race
All talks and laws
Jail cells and walls
Won’t fix a damn thing at all
The failure of one
Is due to the failure of many
Ending his story
With a sad tone in his voice
Saying it with a sigh of relief
I am an outlaw, not a felon
I am a drug user, not a murderer
I am a victim, not a criminal
It has been a long time coming
For the showdown to begin
In hunting me down
With K9 officers and guns
I am tired of being on the run
I’m done.
Creating together laws for crime
Adding more jail cells for time
Is, in itself, a despicable crime
Building more jail space
Reprinted with permission from Nash Hasan's book, Diamonds in the Rough: The Youth of America"
Need help getting health care?
—Æ ?
and our partners make it easy
BEAVERTON CITY LIBRARY
12375 SW 5th St, Beaverton
CITY TEAM
526 S E Grand Ave, Portland
PORTLAND RESCUE MISSION
111 W Burnside, Portland
for you to get covered under
Ju n e 0 8 .....................1:30-3:30p m
Ju n e 1 4 ..............................8 -1 0 a.m.
the Oregon Health Plan and
Medicare at these locations.
BUD CLARK COMMONS
665 NW Hoyt Ave, Portland
At O H P Navigation Clinics,
Ju n e 0 7 ..............................8 -1 0 a.m.
Ju n e 2 8 ..............................8 -1 0 a.m.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY
TRANSITION CENTER
2219 Kaen Rd, Oregon City
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
CareO regon’s goMobile Team
we will:
■ C heck your eligibility
- Enroll you in Medicaid or Medicare
■ Make your doctor appointments
Carrie
CaAeGwqart
in the Prùde pa/tade
June 18
Ju n e 2 1 .................................1 -3 p.m.
CAREOREGON
315 SW Fifth Ave, Portland
CLACKAMAS SERVICE CENTER
8800 S E 80th Ave, Portland
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e
Ju n e 2 7 .................................1 -4 p.m.
0 1 ....................11 a.m.-1 p.m.
0 6 ................... 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
0 8 ............................noon-1 pm
1 3 ....................11 a.m.-1 p.m.
1 5 ................... 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
2 0 ................... 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
2 2 ................... 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
2 7 ................... 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
2 9 ................... 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
ESTACADA FOOD BANK
272 S Broadway St, Estacada
Ju n e 0 9 ................... 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
0 1 ................................ 8 -1 0 a.m.
0 8 ................................ 8 -1 0 a.m.
1 5 ................................8-10 a.m.
2 2 ................................ 8 -1 0 a.m.
2 9 ................................ 8 -1 0 a.m.
STREET ROOTS
211 NW Davis St, Portland
Ju n e 1 3 ........................... ...8 -1 0 a.m.
UNION GOSPEL MISSION
3 NW 3rd, Portland
Ju n e 2 0 ................................. 2 -4 p.m.
Ju n e 2 7 ....................... ......... 2-4 p.m.
MY FATHER’S HOUSE
6 / 5 / 1 7 .................. 1 :3 0 -3 :3 0 p.m.
PORTLAND OPEN BIBLE
COMMUNITY PANTRY
3223 S E 92nd Ave, Portland
Ju n e 1 5 ................... 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
careoregon.org
Questions: Caleb Green
503-416-4883
CareOregorr
goMobile team