for the dean who shut down SUNY/Buffalo's degrees for prisoners
By Charles Keil
incarceration rates per 100,000 in 1992
indonesia incarcerates 22
and other countries are very poor you see
mother india incarcerates 23
a real land of the brave and home of the free
greece 60 and denmark 66
yes they have criminals
and they make their laws stick
japan incarcerates 36
industrial, rich and yet not so sick
158 jailbirds in the brand new Czech republic
germany 80 france 84
civilized euro wrong doers behind closed doors
australia 91 sweden 69
some pay a fine others serve time
when we get to the u.s. hold on to your hat
519
what do you think of that?
u.s. blacks 1,947
u.s. black men three thousand eight hundred and twenty two
(i'm spelling it out kerry grant, just for you)
that's 3,800 more than indonesia puts the screws too
and if faculty at "you be" reach out to these black males (and women too)
the dean turns pink, and then turns pale
what if the statistics should come alive
what if those inside survive
what if they should learn and strive
to understand the numbers and the plan
one of them might come looking for "the man"
and one of the 3,822
might also come looking for you, or me
better we should just throw away the key?
From August, 2000