“It took a little time, it’s not easy. Telling the story, you know, not word for word, but word to word in the poet’s word, and actually perform it to– it wasn’t much of a challenge but you know, just to stay at a certain tone, and also not to rush. So that was some big things I wanted to keep in mind, especially me because sometimes the way I be saying a lot of my poems, some people might hear me shout and such, so I had to keep a certain tone for this type of poem. Just doing this experience, hearing like what someone can go through, who has a disability, that’s incarcerated. It sheds a more better outlook on things, by us bringing out this poem and bringing this story to life, into a poem.”
– El Abdulfattaah
The Process: Storytelling Through Poetry
🎧 Listen: Artist Reflection
In this audio reflection, the artists share personal insights on the perspectives and purpose behind their profound poem.
Reflection
The Final Piece
ASL Performance
We’ve been challenged to come out of our
zone..
And tell you a story in the form of a poem..
Which is not our own..
Let us tell you a story about Taher..
And how he went to jail in Orlando and
was treated unfair…
Now I found it kind of odd.
Because I was warned not to get close to
the guards..
I thought that it was kind of rude..
That they forced us to stand up nude..
No matter the weather.
There was no ounce of friendliness
whatsoever..
We were labeled horrible people…
We weren’t treated as equal..
I’ve witnessed things that I didn’t want to
see..
Thank Allah those things didn’t happen to
me..
Favoritism was shown to the other
brothers.
While the deaf inmates experienced more
oppression than others..
I had to stategize to ensure myself.
I was worried about my safety and my
health…
Now this didn’t make it no easier..
There was one person who caught
seizures.
The guards would prevent him from
getting his meds..
Because they had to protected from covid
instead..
We complained multiple times to give him
extra pills…
But because they could be used as drugs
the guards weren’t making any deals…
A heatwave at it’s worst..
The water was hot..
The food was cold….
Been sitting there for 30 minutes and now
it’s really cold..
Wet floors of humidity began to disburse.
You would’ve thought that it was a curse..
No circulation of air left a bad odor
outburst..
Masks on..so how can I communicate..
If I can’t lip read my fellow inmates.
Now outta respect..
Life sentenced inmates gave us a reality
check..
The hurricane storms…
Had everyone shook up that the fear was
out of the norm..
There was 75 people in a ADA disability
dorm..
These mother fuckers were outta line..
Taking away my phone saying that I’m
throwing up gang signs..
Using tty didn’t work.
Had temp access to a video phone..
Now im able to contact home..
Wifi acting up as I speak out..
Always asking them to fix it
Even though it didn’t make no difference..
Errors and mishaps..
Im a huge family man and these barriers
in jail with a disability make it so hard..
Fighting for my rights as days pass on..
Thinking how my life can go so wrong..
Now once again we been challenge to
come out of our zone..
And tell you story in form of a poem..
Share & Support Open Door Poets’ Work
Praise for the Final Piece
“Wow thank you for opening up to us on that experience. Love the duet poetry form.”
“Love you my Open Doors friends!”
“Fire! Fire! Fire!”
Biography
Two Brooklynites, both visual artists and poets in their own right, El and Var make up the dynamic OPEN DOORS Design Team. El was born and raised in Fort Greene, spending his childhood between Brooklyn and the Bronx with his close-knit family. In 2012, a tragic case of mistaken identity led to El being shot in a drive-by, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the hardship, his spirit remains unbroken.
LeVar “Var” Lawrence also hails from Fort Greene, Brooklyn. While many of his peers were outside playing, Var found solace in drawing, nurturing a passion for visual arts that would shape his life. At 28, Var’s life took a dramatic turn when he was shot during a dice game dispute, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Throughout it all, Var remains a devoted family man, finding strength and purpose in the love he shares with his children: Shaequan, LeVon, Lequan, Lequasiah, Leshea, Varnaeshiah, and LeVar.
Portraits & Portals 