TIME TO FIGHT

Throughout it all, I never turned down a fight.

I'm known for swift footwork, and my over hand right. 

I've faced many opponents, and never shied away. 

But I struggle with the one, I face today.

I am my own trainer, and hard I do train. 

I do push ups in the snow, and shadow box in the rain. 

But my opponent is huge, and undenieably tough. 

I feel even all my training, won't be enough. 

But I push myself harder, for courage I have found. 

Yet I know this fight, will come to the last round. 

I remember a past fight, how I suffered a cramp. 

I know I can't let this happen, against the undisputed champ. 

He is the most aggressive fighter, I must give it my all. 

I will fight hard and get back up, should I ever fall. 

I will bob and weave, my chin I will tuck. 

I will fight and fight, and hope for a little luck. 

The lights are bright, as I enter the ring. 

I was prepared for this fight, now I can't remember a thing. 

I am the challenger, yet on the champ I will pounce. 

The champ is coming, the man begins to announce. 

Ladies and gentlemen, he announces aloud. 

And waits a second for the hush of the crowd. 

You are about to witness a fight, we all must face. 

You can't run away, or hide any place. 

Here comes the champ, he is bigger than us all. 

He is tough and brutal, a human wrecking ball. 

He has a killer jab, and a hook like a knife. 

He is the undisputed champion, and his name is Life. 

By Ricky Silva, September 2013

REACH OUT

Imagine being so alone you feel you are surrounded by darkness. Having so much to say and no one to say it to. So much love to give yet no one to receive that love.

You want for a normal conversation the way a thirsty man wants for water in the desert.

You want for human contact, any kind of human contact to remind you you're alive.

A letter would be wonderful but it seems all the people in your life who cared have drifted away like a leaf in an autumn breeze. You recognize the wrong you have done and often blame yourself for how bad things are though you know deep down no one deserves this treatment. Not even you.

You contemplate suicide but somehow find the strength everyday for just one more day. You hang on by a thread of hope because tomorrow might be different.

I can tell you when I feel like this a letter alone make all the difference. So if you're reading this blog, take time to write a letter. How can it hurt? Even if you don't write to me. Choose anyone who is living in a concrete cage like mine. Write to them if for no other reason than to give them someone to talk to.

Open your heart and through you, you could bring the hope that keeps a man alive from day to day with only a caring letter.

Please be safe.

One man caged
Ricky

Ricky Silva DC# L24722

Florida State Prison

7819 N.W. 228th street

Raiford, Florida 32026

U.S.A.

______________________________________________________

REACH OUT

Beautiful colors dance,
across a velvet sky.
As a waterfall of souls,
waves it's good bye.

With a deep breathe of tomorrow,
we live on today.
I was told to pay attention,
but never did pay.

The darkness of the past,
is now taking it's toll.
As my pen unloads it's ink,
my life slowly begins to roll.

I flush memories away,
though some I badly miss.
Even in a picture perfect moment,
I couldn't picture this.

Stripped of all human rights,
though human we are.
Eating through a metal hole,
or between the likes of steel bars.

Locked away frozen in time,
sometimes even for years.
Laughed at when we cry,
for worthless are our tears.

The holidays come,
and slowly they go.
As we suffer a lonelyness,
that makes us feel so small.

We send out letters,
often written in our tears.
And may not ever get a response,
and this is what we fear.

But with that one letter,
in which someone choose to respond.
We have the strength building,
that will allow us to go on.

So if you're reading this reach out,
to someone in solitary.
Write a letter, it can't hurt,
even if it's not to me.

by Ricky Silva, August 2013

ONE MAN

Life would go on,

should I die.

Why does the world ignore,

a lonely cry?

Taking another step,

one foot in front of the other. 

Tripping each other for placement,

falling over one another. 

Like crabs in a pot,

pulling each other down. 

Laughing at life's cruelty,

when no one is around. 

I wonder if I'm human,

as I sit in this cell. 

The way we are all treated,

it's very hard to tell. 

It's the nature of the beast,

to treat each other cruel. 

One will be enslaved,

and one will always rule. 

We need to take a moment, 

to give a helping hand.

We are all so very different,

but a man is a man.

by Ricky Silva, August 2013

TO THEM WE ARE ANIMALS

I sit in my cell today and stay as positive as I can be. I feel really bad and it pisses me off because it can be prevented.

You see I'm a diabetic. My blood sugar without the proper amount of insulin goes very high and causes all types of problem like loss of energy, extreme thirst and headaches. It also over time does horrible things to your body. You can go blind or lose your foot do to poor circulation. 

My blood sugar has been between 200 and 300 every day for 2 weeks now and I can't get it fixed when normal is 100.

To them we are animals. Though I don't think I could treat an animal the way we are treated. 

Should our medical needs be neglected like this? Some believe it's a waste of taxpayers money to even keep us alive let alone supply medication and treatment for something such as diabetes. Do to my situation I would have to disagree :)

What about you? If you are reading this, you have an opinion? Should I shut up and deal with it as part of my sentence? Am I asking for something I don't deserve based on my actions? Or is it cruel to punish someone every day with the effects of a disease that could kill him by neglecting and refusing to give medical attention?

I would like a response. Often I have to evaluate my way of thinking and other people's insights help. So please feel free to comment. 

I will keep a post as often as I can. 

Until my next post - be safe. 

One man caged

Ricky

Ricky Silva DC# L24722

Florida State Prison

7819 N.W. 228th street

Raiford, Florida 32026

U.S.A.

QUESTIONS

24 hours in a day.

Why not 23?

So many people succeed. 

Why not me?

Why doesn't the apple,

fall far from the tree?

Why does fate choose,

to play tricks on me?

What happens to smoke,

when it disappears in the wind?

Why do we all make a mistake,

and the same thing again?

Are people in general,

destined to fail?

Is life really nothing but,

a game of heads or tails?

Is it right to stare at each other,

with a look of disdain?

Should we all get pleasure,

from someone else's pain?

If I said I'm a changed man,

would you believe it's true?

While I am being judged,

is someone judging you?

Should we mourn a stranger,

who lies in bed with cancer?

So many questions. 

Do we really want answers?

by Ricky Silva, August 2013

ROOMMATES

I told you in my last post how other close management camps have roommates. Well all of them do except Florida State Prison. At all the other close management camps once you reach level 2 you will have a roommate some out of fear.

A lot of the people, I would say about half of the people on close management, believe it or not, are not even trying to get off. They are either to weak to endure the pressures of open population or they have made so many enemies that even if they had powers like superman they wouldn't be safe. So those types of people don't want roommates because this solitary confinement for them is a form of protective custody.

Then there are people that don't want a roommate because it is very comfortable to have a cell to yourself and not have to worry about dealing with another person and his habits in your cell. There is a good chance you may end up with someone you don't get along with or see eye to eye with on a lot of things. Once this person is in your cell the guards will not move either one of you out of the cell unless there is a serious altercation involving violence. Which means, as they tell you, no blood, no move. 

So for good reasons a lot of people would don't want to take the chance. 

I'm not sure if I would want a roommate or not. On the one hand I would enjoy the company, maybe someone to play cards or chess with and talk to. I would enjoy all that. On the other hand sharing this tiny cell would not be easy. So if I'm to be honest I really don't know if I would rather have a roommate or not and it really doesn't matter because they won't be giving me one until I go back to population. 

Moving on to the next post, I had a friend ask me a interesting question. She asked: Why is a friend so hard for a convict to find? And why he can't find a friend among other convicts?

Those are 2 very good questions and I will answer both in one of my next posts.  

If anyone reading this has any questions they would like me to answer or maybe need me to clear up something I already wrote, feel free to write me and ask. I will either write you back with an answer or post the answer on the blog. You can reach me with a letter, email (you find it at my blog profile) or by writing a comment. 

Please ( be safe )

One man caged

Ricky

Ricky Silva DC# L24722

Florida State Prison

7819 N.W. 228th street

Raiford, Florida 32026

U.S.A.