<
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/01/capital-punishment-hip-hop-rap-lyrics>
"James Broadnax has been locked up in a 6ft-by-10ft cell on death row in Texas
for more than 16 years, and in that time he has developed coping mechanisms for
passing the long and desolate days.
A favourite technique is to write spoken word poetry at his cell desk. He
becomes so engrossed in the creative process that he can lose himself for
hours, transfixed in what he calls a “time gap”. In one of his recent poems,
featured in a short death row documentary,
Solitary Minds, Broadnax, who is
37, describes how he writes:
“I’ve been here umpteen days never forgetting
To forget the absence of my fate.
Sloppy ciphered sentences become rage,
Provoking thoughts into words spoken
Across this blank page.”
Though his love of writing has remained constant, the form of Broadnax’s poetry
has changed over the years. Today it is spoken word, but as a teenager back in
the aughts it was rap. Broadnax’s dream was to become a successful rapper. He
would fill entire notebooks with handwritten rap lyrics. Next month, that old
habit could cost him his life."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
