“A whirlwind filled with swirling debris

My center in the eye – with a wall of wind surrounding me

The rain that drenches my path

Is similar to the seasonal condensation that floods my past

I’ve caused many to seek shelter because of my wrath

Cause since birth I figured destruction my only task….”

(Excerpt from “Brighter Days.”)

Joesph Jackson wrote those words while serving time in a Maine prison for manslaughter. The full poem, “Brighter Days, is included in his master’s thesis, “Black in Maine.”

Joseph Jackson’s remarkable story is one of redemption and resolve, courage and grit. To hear him tell it is to gain renewed hope for humanity.

While in prison, Joseph reached out to Rose Buffett, the sister of renowned investor Warren Buffett, asking her support so he could earn his GED and continue on to take college courses. She agreed on two conditions: that he maintain at least a 3.0 average and that he keep her informed as to his progress. What an investment that proved to be!

While incarcerated, Joesph earned his Associate and Bachelor’s degrees with summa cum laude honors from the University of Southern Maine in Augusta. He was selected as a member of Who’s Who among students and colleges and universities; and he also became the first prisoner in Maine selected to the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing graduate program while still a prisoner. In 2015, he was one of four commencement speakers for his class.

Joseph was released from prison in 2013, fortified by the resolve to make changes in the Maine prison system. “My success is not a reflection of the system,” he notes. He also believes that the system’s emphasis has shifted from rehabilitation to punishment as the percentage of minorities in the prison proportion has increased. “Destroying people is not the answer,” he says, from the perspective of someone who has first-hand experience behind prison walls, including some time in solitary confinement.

Joseph currently spends countless hours each week, applying his creativity and insights to two non-profit organizations. The Maine Prison Advocacy Coalition (www.maineprisonadvocacy.org) is a group committed to ethical, positive, and humane changes in Maine’s prison system. Maine Inside Out (www.maineinside.org) facilitates the creation of original theater to engage the community in dialogue about issues related to incarceration.

The poem “Brighter Days,” which began with a plaint (above) ended with a promise:

“…I realize this bright light is turning away the haze

And the road I travel no longer a maze

Of course I’m amazed – that my turmoil has begun to fade

The water falling from my eye

Represents hope for brighter days.”

(An excerpt from the poem, “Brighter Days”)

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.