Dr. Lindamichellebaron

I‘ve Known
Rivers Press is proud to introduce, as its first title, the
work of poet Herman Alexander Baron III. In
Conversations with My Soul: Messages from a
Wounded Warrior, Baron gives us a voice that is both
a cry from the heart and a window into a unique
poetic voice.
Baron, who is incarcerated in a federal prison in the
south, was born in 1976. His poems are part of a long
tradition in African American letters of poetry and song
of the incarcerated and the enslaved. From the
enslaved poet Phillis Wheatley, to the folksinger Huddie
Leadbetter (Leadbelly) and the poet Ethridge Knight,
both of whom won their freedom through their art,
African American letters and song have long included
those forcibly held at the margins of society in its
ranks. Its prose writers have also included former
slaves and former prisoners, from Frederick Douglass
to Chester Himes and Malcolm X.
This is the tradition that’s produced this young poet and
his very special book. His voice, though still
in development, shows
remarkable confidence.
With echoes
of influences ranging
from today’s hip
hop vernacular to
the “cry” of Rilke,
Herman Baron’s work
speaks with the voice
of a generation of
African American men
whose culture is linked
with incarceration, but
one that nevertheless,
seeks to liberate its
soul. With these poems,
these “conversations”
Baron gives us the voice
of his liberating soul.
Conversations
Conversations
Soul Soul
MY MY WITH WITH
Literature for Reluctant Readers
and Youth at Risk
“Champion”
From Conversations with
My Soul
by Herman Baron III
I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,
Having to cry in the dark,
Unable to express the emotions I truly feel
in my heart,
Because it wasn’t scripted in my part.
But I’m human, dammit, not an actor.
Did you think to factor into the equation
That maybe I was just good at the art of
persuasion?
I spent years living behind my disguise,
Infecting my mind and body with lies,
So I could be a part of lives I knew nothing about.
I brainwashed myself into doubt
And now it’s a heavyweight bout.
I’m blocking out all the screams and shouts,
I’m focused for the title fight of my life,
It’s the 3rd round and victory is nowhere in sight.
Self-destruction keeps hitting me with rights
It’s taking all my might just to stay in the fight.
10th round and I’m still on my feet.
My adversary is underestimating me,
Doesn’t know I’m playing for keeps,
And when the final bell rings
I’ll be the true champion of my life.
516-489-0120 I’VE KNOWN RIVERS PRESS www.lindamichellebaron.com