The Hangman Cometh
The condemned prisoner waits and waits16 total reviews
Comment from Colorado Owl
Your poem reminds me of why I no longer agree that there should be a death penalty for crimes. As long as someone is alive, there's a possibility (however small) for a "chance to heal, to mend, to transcend." Thank you.
reply by the author on 26-Nov-2024
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Your poem reminds me of why I no longer agree that there should be a death penalty for crimes. As long as someone is alive, there's a possibility (however small) for a "chance to heal, to mend, to transcend." Thank you.
Comment Written 26-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 26-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your excellent review. I am also against the death, which surprises many people given that my time in the service involved managing life sentence prisoners.
Take care and stay safe.
Comment from Marilyn Hamilton
I cannot begin to imagine the kind of trauma those two weeks and then the subsequent freedom from the sentence would bring. The new found joy in life must be amazing. Thanks for sharing this story and the well-written poem.
reply by the author on 25-Nov-2024
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I cannot begin to imagine the kind of trauma those two weeks and then the subsequent freedom from the sentence would bring. The new found joy in life must be amazing. Thanks for sharing this story and the well-written poem.
Comment Written 25-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 25-Nov-2024
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The prisoner in the poem was eventually released and he went on to write a play for TV regarding his time in the death cell.
Many thanks for your positive review.
Take care and stay safe
Comment from dragonpoet
Hi Peter,
This is a well written story of a man who seems to have found faith after having his death sentence commuted. It is good when a person lives and finds hope.
Keep writing and stay healthy.
Have a great day and week.
Joan
P S I would like you to know I just published a book titled "The Interloper and other stories in prose and poetry. There is a link to the book on Amazon.com at the end of my profile page. Or you can just search Joan Pechter The Interloper and it will pop right up.
reply by the author on 26-Nov-2024
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Hi Peter,
This is a well written story of a man who seems to have found faith after having his death sentence commuted. It is good when a person lives and finds hope.
Keep writing and stay healthy.
Have a great day and week.
Joan
P S I would like you to know I just published a book titled "The Interloper and other stories in prose and poetry. There is a link to the book on Amazon.com at the end of my profile page. Or you can just search Joan Pechter The Interloper and it will pop right up.
Comment Written 25-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 26-Nov-2024
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Hi Joan
Thank for your lovely review. I have always been against the death penalty.
Thank for the info about your book The Interloper. I will secure a copy.
Take care.
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You're welcome, Peter. I agree with you about the death penalty. It is taking a life which is murder.
Joan
Comment from ESOSTINE
Your poem is a passionate and philosophical narrative of a prisoner's ordeal. The poem read well. and I felt the dep connection with the experience of the prisoner and his excitement upon release. Well done, dear Peter. Exceptionally delivered.
reply by the author on 25-Nov-2024
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Your poem is a passionate and philosophical narrative of a prisoner's ordeal. The poem read well. and I felt the dep connection with the experience of the prisoner and his excitement upon release. Well done, dear Peter. Exceptionally delivered.
Comment Written 25-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 25-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your lovely review and for the 6 stars. As you will have read I had the rare chance to speak to someone who spent many days in the death cell, fully aware of the exact time and date of his impending death. This conversation took place nearly 50 years ago and it is still fresh in my memory.
Take care and stay safe
Comment from JEVEL
Wow, I would give ten stars for this if I could. I could tell your heart was there in a personal way. Each verse transcended to continue the emotional processes of such an event. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to read such a heartfelt work.
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Wow, I would give ten stars for this if I could. I could tell your heart was there in a personal way. Each verse transcended to continue the emotional processes of such an event. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to read such a heartfelt work.
Comment Written 24-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your encouraging review.
The conversation occurred nearly 50 years ago and I remember it clearly.
Take care
Comment from jake cosmos aller
a powerful and moving poem about encountering a man on death row who undergoes redemption at the end of his life.
loved this lines
And so, in this fragile dance of fate,
A story unfolds, intricate and great.
For in the knowing of life's end,
A chance to heal, to mend, to transcend.
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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a powerful and moving poem about encountering a man on death row who undergoes redemption at the end of his life.
loved this lines
And so, in this fragile dance of fate,
A story unfolds, intricate and great.
For in the knowing of life's end,
A chance to heal, to mend, to transcend.
Comment Written 24-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your splendid review
Take care and stay safe
Comment from Tim Margetts
Thank you for sharing this story and a glimpse into what must be the most terrible of things.
To have to live with the jarring knowledge that any day could be the last.
Yes, we all have that fact as the one immutable truth, but not in such a real and visceral way as someone in a death cell.
If I can make but one small comment, there was one thing that jarred in the whole poem, a line that missed the pattern and measure of the poem.
'The Home Secretary's reprieve descends,
A twist of fate, a chance begins. '
Was this a deliberate thing to jar the senses from the rhythm or a slip?
In any case. The poem is a worthy tribute to your life in the prison service and this man's story.
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Thank you for sharing this story and a glimpse into what must be the most terrible of things.
To have to live with the jarring knowledge that any day could be the last.
Yes, we all have that fact as the one immutable truth, but not in such a real and visceral way as someone in a death cell.
If I can make but one small comment, there was one thing that jarred in the whole poem, a line that missed the pattern and measure of the poem.
'The Home Secretary's reprieve descends,
A twist of fate, a chance begins. '
Was this a deliberate thing to jar the senses from the rhythm or a slip?
In any case. The poem is a worthy tribute to your life in the prison service and this man's story.
Comment Written 24-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your honest review. You asked about a section in the poem. Yes, I did this intentionally.
Kind regards and best wishes
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Thank you.
I did wonder as the rest of the structure was maintained nicely. The moment of reprieve stood out.
Comment from Pam Lonsdale
I liked: "the elephant in the cell" for the elephant in the room
"A murderer, yes, but human still"
"For in the knowing of life's end" - this is especially true of this prisoner, as he knows how he will die. That's chilling.
Do you think you could tell us in your author's notes what happened to him? Was he ever hung or did he live out his life naturally in prison?
This is a very personal story, and I thank you for sharing it in your rhyming poem.
xo
Pam
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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I liked: "the elephant in the cell" for the elephant in the room
"A murderer, yes, but human still"
"For in the knowing of life's end" - this is especially true of this prisoner, as he knows how he will die. That's chilling.
Do you think you could tell us in your author's notes what happened to him? Was he ever hung or did he live out his life naturally in prison?
This is a very personal story, and I thank you for sharing it in your rhyming poem.
xo
Pam
Comment Written 24-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your lovely review.
The prisoner had his death sentence commuted to life and was eventually released on a life licence. All I know about him was that he was to go on and write a play about his time in the death cell which was screened on TV.
Only those prisoners on a whole life tariff will spend life in prison until they die currently there are about 8,000 life sentence prisoners UK prisons. 65 are serving a whole life tariff. Most lifers will at some point be released
Comment from Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Although I wish the death penalty could still be here for terrorists and child abusers,,, I'm glad we don't have it anymore. The death penalty for murder was suspended in Britain for five years in 1965 and made permanent in 1969. I think that was because it was found that some convicted killers were found to be innocent after they had been hung. What an awful thing to happen! Your poem gives us some idea of that person's thoughts and feelings whilst waiting for that day he would be hanged. Do you know if he was eventually released years later? Well done with this poem, you should have waited and entered it in a write a story in a poem contest. :)) Sandra xx
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Although I wish the death penalty could still be here for terrorists and child abusers,,, I'm glad we don't have it anymore. The death penalty for murder was suspended in Britain for five years in 1965 and made permanent in 1969. I think that was because it was found that some convicted killers were found to be innocent after they had been hung. What an awful thing to happen! Your poem gives us some idea of that person's thoughts and feelings whilst waiting for that day he would be hanged. Do you know if he was eventually released years later? Well done with this poem, you should have waited and entered it in a write a story in a poem contest. :)) Sandra xx
Comment Written 24-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Hi Sandra.
Thank you for your informative review.
Yes, he was eventually released (I am unable to recall the year)
However, what i do know is that he wrote a play about his time in the death and it was screened on TV.
Here are some other facts about life sentence prisoners;
There are currently about 8,000 lifers in our system, 65 of those are the subject of a whole life tariff, which means that they will never be released.(Lucy Letby being the last).
A life sentence is not really for life: it is known as an indeterminate sentence, thus most lifers will at some point be eligible for release. However, they remain on licence for the remainder of their life.
The prison service has the task of preparing them for life outside.
Take care and stay safe.
XX
Comment from DonandVicki
Such a well composed poetic tribute to a man on death row. I cannot imagine the turmoil that those prisoners must go through, and the get commuted to life, even though dreary, my seem like joy.
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Such a well composed poetic tribute to a man on death row. I cannot imagine the turmoil that those prisoners must go through, and the get commuted to life, even though dreary, my seem like joy.
Comment Written 23-Nov-2024
reply by the author on 24-Nov-2024
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Thank you for your lovely review.
Take care.