Under Lock and Key

These poems are the depth-soundings of an innocent nine-year-old, so abandoned and mistreated that he barely had a chance to ever be loved, to breathe. They are the endless yearnings of a heart for love deserved, the cryings of confusion and a search for worth. These poems reveal for the reader the tears and terrors of death row hidden from public view. "My poetry started from all in my life that was miserable. By reaching deep down inside of me up comes the invisible."The...
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These poems are the depth-soundings of an innocent nine-year-old, so abandoned and mistreated that he barely had a chance to ever be loved, to breathe. They are the endless yearnings of a heart for love deserved, the cryings of confusion and a search for worth. These poems reveal for the reader the tears and terrors of death row hidden from public view. "My poetry started from all in my life that was miserable. By reaching deep down inside of me up comes the invisible."The sensitive reader finds common wounds within his own imprisoned heart. Each of these "100 Poems From Death Row" has something relatable, something special and familiar that can open the wound in our own heart. "It is a nightmare in a deep sleep. It is the past telling the future to weep. These poems initially were written as Anthony dealt with his pain and isolation, his execution possible at any time. Then his dedicated Lawyer, Cristi Charpentier, suggested that he try writing to deal with the overwhelming angst and his mental health struggles. Anthony's first response was, "Me, write?" His literate skills were minimal, his confidence non-existent. Yet, "the paper always listened to me." "I have no home But I am homesick."The resulting poems are a profound look at a human soul as he ages alone in a death row cell. The comparison to Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning" are remarkable. Anthony finds beauty beyond rage, lovability out of abandonment and human survival in his archipelago. "The emotions of poetry can plant some unforgettable seeds, Making the poems last for centuries, a remedy for humanity's needs."