Untried and un-convicted
And unattended to
A young man in a prison cell
Could be me or you
Comes down with pneumonia
Left until the morn
Finally prison door unlocks
But the young man is gone
He died neglected in his cell
His cries for help ignored
And minimised as we often do
You’ve only got a cold
And locked up in a narrow cell
Cast out from the world
You’ve lost your right to freedom
Your cries will go unheard
The Lord tells us a story
A lost sheep all alone
Wandering on a hillside
Faraway from home
The shepherd goes to find her
He will not rest until
He hears that cry and carries her
Back home across the hill
Brian Fahy
6 December 2022
+ To remember Alex Braund, aged 25, a young chef who died neglected by those charged with his care, in Nottingham Prison in March 2020.
Erris Poetry 