Unchainable Halim

Halim Flowers is the author of eleven books. #UNCHAINABLE is his fourth collection of poetry. From the author: I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. during the crack era, pre-gentrification, when the nation's capital was the murder capital. I... Read more

Halim Flowers is the author of eleven books. #UNCHAINABLE is his fourth collection of poetry. From the author: I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. during the crack era, pre-gentrification, when the nation's capital was the murder capital. I am 37 years old, and I have been incarcerated since the age of 16. I was convicted of aiding and abetting a felony murder, while my co-defendant had all charges dismissed against him. I was sentenced to 40 years to life imprisonment. I am not innocent, and I am not sure how to quantify a number of years to equate to the unjust loss of a human soul. My life is a poetic actualization of repentance.I have previously published 10 books that I use for my outreach work with at-risk youth in society and to heal others outside of the confines of prison. In 2016, the DC City Council enacted the Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment Act, a law that provides a process for juveniles who received life sentences and have served at least 20 years behind bars to seek resentencing and release. I will have a hearing this year under the new law. Is my sentence just? I cannot say with certainty. My humility and love for humanity only concerns me with doing the work of embodying the compassion and love that I want to see at work in the world.I am human. Can you see me as such?-Halim A. Flowers Less