Greetings and Happy New Year to those of you who celebrate the New Year in winter.
I, as I remind people every year, don't see and feel New Years until spring when Mother Earth let me know it's time for new beginnings. Mother Earth let me know it is spring by the birds and plants, by the smells in the air. Anyway may all of your New Years be blessed with the real. May the joy of a billion butterflies flutter in your hearts. Still on lockdown and was also 14 days before the brother Stanley "Tookie" Williams was executed by the state, now it has been 7 days after the killing. The prison has put all black people on lockdown within a lockdown. Which means blacks will have extra handcuffs on them and escorted to showers and medical in handcuffs. The lockdown we were on before the execution was for no reason. There had not been any violence to warrant a lockdown. No riots or fights or anything. Word is blacks are on double lockdown because Stanley "Tookie" Williams, being a black man, was executed. The state has executed whites, Asians and Mexicans on California Death Role. Yet they did not lockdown all the whites, Asians or Mexicans. Lots of the people that protested the Death penalty at San Quentin and around the world were white. This lockdown stinks of racism. Racism that is still deeply embedded in American Institutions and society. No matter how many people not having experienced racism say and ignore or pretend it doesn't exist. Some people in general and of color on Death Row are innocent but are being executed anyway. Killing is not proper no matter who is doing the killing. No matter if you pretend you have some God supporting you and by whatever name you call your government.
PRISON DAY
I go into a different mind set on lockdown. Where you are basically living on your bunk. I have all the things I need for travel my books, paper, stamps and envelopes, and of course my imagination. I have the whole sky and universe to travel in. I got up this morning around 5:00 am. (I don't let lockdown change my get up time) I did my sit ups, leg lifts and stretches. If this lockdown lasts much longer I will have to start my "get down" program in the cell. Where I do push ups, back arms off the metal bunk, sink and table. Do some squats and run in place. When we are off lockdown I must remember to get some batteries to the Walkman cassette player. I have had this player for around nine years. I try to make things last. I remember I had an 8-track Fm/Am player all the way up to about the mid 1990's. I could not even find any 8-track for it anymore. I think it is time for me to get a CD player before they become obsolete. Music sounds much better on CD player. I do my silent thinking and meditation. Then I write on any projects I am working on. I write my letters too. I do my reading and pondering. Since we are on lockdown today I will also do some drawing. Although my scratches on paper, like my handwriting, is nothing to speak on other then it being my own and from the heart and soul. Oh yes, I will reread some Shakespeare poems I like to recite. I have a couple of novels to read "The learning tree" and a play - a screen play called "Life is beautiful" plus I have my Samuel Beckett reader and my Ralph Waldo Emerson essay book. I just got in the mail yesterday "Death in Venice and other stories" by Thomas Mann. So that's a lot of food for the inside of me to ponder. We have been on lockdown now since late November and December is nearly gone now.
WRITING STUFF
The book club met a couple of times before the lockdown. But a lot of people had not read the two books we had on line to read. Some people have gotten transferred, job changed or sent to the hole. Other people have just lost interest, which is fine. Some people misunderstood what a book club is, some how failing to connect reading the book with the club. We sometimes have prison officials drop by to check out the club and even offered to read one of the books and come to our discussion after wards. I am sure at the top of the year we shall get the book club running again. It is something positive and real and thus will attract positive and real people. And there is a good core group. The writing classes, because of the lockdown, has been inconsistent too plus and transfers and people going to the hole has effected it. But also like the book club there is a good core group to keep the realness flowing. Everything will pick up after the first of 2006. There are a lot of realness quests that might come in.
BIRD STUFF
Still wondering how my plant friend 'Sara' is doing in the art room. For weeks now I have not been able to feed and water, to talk with her and share space or take her out in front of the art room to get some fresh air. I heard it is raining outside and I am sure 'Sara' has never experience the rain drizzling sweetly down her leaves and stems. Each drop of rainwater looking like dazzling clear jewels on her greenness. I hope the rich full green she had been displaying have not withered totally away. I know no one else has watered her and it has been weeks. I'll treat her with loving care once off this lockdown. She will smile and glisten again and share her light and love. I hope one day I could get photo of 'Sara' and share with people. Anyway it is said all the nutrients to sustain life can be gathered off the back of the air, all the vitamins, all the elements, all the stuff can be breathed into the living being. I heard about people purporting to live off only air in the 1980's. I have never tried that. I don't know how 'Sara' is feeling about that. How her leaves and stems are protesting the lack of food and water. I wonder how many of her leaves are dried and ready to crumble. Word is lockdown will last until sometimes in January 2006. I have not seen or heard any birds, although an angel sent me a parrot calendar.
STAY REAL SECTION
I want to say hi to all the realness people. I want to say hi and Happy Holidays to brother Danny - The Hands man. Keep painting your realness and sharing it with the world and letting people know, through your art, that it is okay to be who you are. You are always with us as we are with you. May your New Year be blessed. Also a special greeting to Peace G. everywhere and especially to Elin and Philip. Someone asked what is a sign of redemption or rehabilitation. I know forgiveness has to be a part of the process and responsibility for ones action. Along with service- service in the sense of enlightening people on what went wrong on your journey and try to help folks learn from your mistakes. Everyone has their own paths to travel and on our journeys our paths can crisscross. I don't know if there truly is some debt to society to be paid for any misdeed. Because "society" like "the system" is something not tangible. Again one learn from a mistake and go deep into self for redemption and touch that pure loving place inside that wants to be of service and heal and help people and there by healing and helping oneself. The death penalty is not cool or killing someone after he or she has shown by action and words of being of service to people. Encouraging young people not to be gangsters like Stanley "Tookie" Williams did before his execution is an example of redemptive powers as well as rehabilitation and of being of service to people. Revenge and hate has never healed anyone.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
May your blessing be many and your growth and peace fill you full of joy and realness. Peace G. keep the realness flowing. Keep the healing glowing! As always stay real.
Spoon Jackson
