The 3 Deaths of a Prisoner by Steven Musser
Medium: Mixed media on paper
Size: 7 x 9 inches
Artist Poem: This Is Me
I am not quite the man you see. / I am a man longing to be free, / Free from the pain, / Free from the chain, / Free to be me. / I am not what I once was, / Honestly that is because, / I have found a new way, / To live for each and every day. / You see I need to share my life, / With others to end my strife. / That means letting others in, / I needed someone to show me just / where to begin. / I was closed and hidden for so long, / Now, I am starting to feel as if I belong. / I am the man I am today, / even though in prison I still stay. / It does not matter where I am, / I can be free ! / Free to choose how to live, / Free to love, laugh and cry. / Free to make each day the best, / Thanks to someone letting me get / my feelings off my chest. / You see I can change and evolve, / This is me, for today, / Each day I change a bit more, becoming / the man I want to be, / which in time will set me free. / Being me is never easy, / I make mistakes and get mad, / Sometimes I am even sad. / But I do like who I am today, / And that is all I can really say. / This is me, / And I am happy, / Just to finally be me!
Image description: A tattoo-style ink drawing of three skulls with glaring eyes and fangs, with red, white, and blue flowers poking out between them.