to voice her grievances. my name is gwendolyn collins. and the poem is why i write poetry. i don t write poetry for the fame, speaking loud with no shame, the words i spit i claim, it s all a part of the game i call life. i consider myself an artist, painting mental pictures in my head. we saw collins the slam poet when she gave an impromptu performance for the women in her jail dorm. and the bible says that god blesses baby and fools. i think god has a sense of humor and is amused, you see, because being in a women s detention center is not all he has in store for me. i guess that s how i started to write poetry. it saved me from arguments, headaches and heartaches. i like it because i feel that i can express, i can teach, i can motivate others. i feel good when i m up there. when i m on stage and i recite and on the mike i feel free. there s no boundaries. living a life of crime bought nothing but misery. i had nice cars, living like a star with the bling-bling and
yes, i had nice cars, living like a star with the bling-bling and the dress code and my gun on lock and load on a long dark road going nowhere. too soft. too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso s new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection. you re not linda. i m filling in for officer owens. she used double miles from her capital one venture card to take an early vacation. buckle up. let s go do cop stuff. [ siren chirps ] license and venture card, ma am. was i going too fast? oh, you d be going twice as fast if you had double miles. [ male announcer ] get away fast with unlimited double miles from the capital one venture card. freeze! don t touch the face! can i drive? absolutely not. what s in your wallet?
and set it down in front of dennis and said, look, here s next on lockup: raw yes, i had a job. i was a professional escort. i was running my ads in play time magazine and sex action magazine. charged with murder, a former call girl makes peace with the past. yes, i had nice cars, living like a star with the bling-bling and the dress code and my gun on lock and load on a long dark road going nowhere.
take it to this level where he would assault staff. the officer was not badly injured, but it landed hamilton back in administrative segregation, with a high probability of being sent to the shu, a place most inmates dread. to me it s prison. it s still prison. it s not going to change. it s still prison. if you send me to the shu, if you send me to level one, it s prison. i can t leave when i want and i can t do what i want, but this is what i can control. i can control you placing another inmate in there. since i can control that, you will not place another inmate in there. next on lockup: raw yes, i had a job. i was a professional escort. i was running my ads in play time magazine and sex action magazine. charged with murder, a former call girl makes peace with the past. yes, i had nice cars, living like a star with the bling-bling and the dress code and my gun on lock and load on a long dark road going nowhere.
yes. i had nice cars, living like a star with the bling-bling and the dress code and my gun always on lock and load on a long, dark road going nowhere. poetry had such an effect on some of the younger women inmates, almost being moved to tears, they were so overwhelmed by what she had to say to them. poetry is meant, it s deep down in your core. i m here to stay, i found my way, i want to be heard for all to hear and see, but to be honest, i do it, i do it for me. [ cheers and applause ] that s right. when i came in here, you know, i had a temper problem. i had my ideas about life were really distorted, and you know, now i know my purpose a little bit. but if you would have caught me just a few years ago, we would have been thumping it out. i d knock your butt on the floor. one thing i learned is me, me myself and i is all i got until the end that s what i found out there ain t no need to cry i took a vow that from now on