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| The following is a found poem based on “Last Words of the Condemned” by Celina Fang, Manny Fernandez, Amy Padnani and Ashwin Seshagiri in The New York Times, June 29, 2013. Photos provided to the Times by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
I.
I wish I could die more than once
to tell you
how sorry I am.
I am the sinner of all sinners.
I deserve this.
Tell
everyone
I
said goodbye.
Let’s roll. Lord Jesus
receive my
spirit.
I love all those on Death row.
I will always
hold them
in
my hands.
II.
No one wins tonight.
They are
killing me tonight.
No one gets closure.
They are
murdering me tonight.
No one walks away victorious.
Let’s do it, man.
Lock and
load.
Ain’t
life a bitch.
III.
Bury me deep, lay two speakers
at my feet,
put some headphones on my head,
rock and
roll me when I’m dead.
I walked in here
like a man.
I am leaving
like a man.
It’s a good day to die.
I can feel it,
taste it,
not bad.
Allyson Whipple is the director of the Austin Feminist Poetry Festival and the author of We're Smaller Than We Think We Are (Finishing Line Press). Her work has most recently appeared in the 2014 Texas Poetry Calendar.