“I Want To Fly Home”
I want to fly away
extend my arms
wait for the wind to lift me
I’ll fly to a place where they get me
and understand who I am
Don’t miss me
I’ll be where I belong
I’ll be home.
PE: Darrion, It’s always an honor to meet a new inspiring young poet. What inspired you to start writing and how long have you been incarcerated?
DR: I’m thankful for the opportunity for artist like myself to express our creativity in new ways and on media web-sites like PE. I’ve been incarcerated since I was 17 years old and I’m 27 now. What inspired me to write is Hip-Hop. Prison stifles the ability to record music and with me being a person who needs to express himself, I transformed my raps into poetry and also into storytelling.
PE: Your first published book of poetry is titled, “325 Miles Away.” What made you come up with that title?
DR: I often get a lot of questions about the title of the book. Actually, the title of the book was my mother’s idea. It’s the distance from Chicago to Pinkneyville C.C. and my mother and daughter would come visit me often there.
PE: Recently I read a short story that you wrote titled, “Prison.” After reading it I thought to myself that this brother is deep. In that piece you made a clear distinction between the “common -prisoner’ – unmotivated and in search of stimuli, and the “exceptional-prisoner”- one who is active and always preparing himself for his eventual freedom. What are some of the steps that you can share with us on our journey toward becoming an “exceptional-prisoner?”
DR: By finding the strength in admitting that they are afraid of what they don’t understand. Then making an effort to understand why they feel that the little they do have is sufficient for them, while those whom we deem successful and admirable thrive for more.
PE: There’s been a lot of political discussions in the past few years on prison reform and early release for prisoners who committed their offences while they were juveniles or young adults. What are your thoughts?
DR: Well, I’m a victim of the excessive sentencing of juveniles. No crime should go unpunished, however, the punishment should be within reason. Also taking into account the circumstances surrounding the offense and the offenders ability to control himself.
PE: Darrion, I want to thank you for your time, but before I go, what new projects are you working on?
DR: I’m currently working on a new book of short stories and generally working on improving as a writer.
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