Poetry flows from the 'pen'

Robert Reldan & Bill Carhart

Carmen Michael LaBruno's last days, which ended in a prison cell, could have been the culmination of a wasted life. But while serving his sentence, he developed a skill for poetry writing that gave a new purpose to his time behind bars.

Though he couldn't erase a murder and kidnaping conviction, LaBruno began to examine the world around him, and himself, in his writings-a-talent that eventually led to awards and publications in magazines.

LaBruno died of liver disease last August, a day before his 55th birthday, but his spirit is alive at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, where fellow inmates write poetry to relieve aggression. Now, when frustration is at a boiling point, they use pen and paper for their punching bag.

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For the dozen or so writers at the stat's maximum security prison, putting thoughts on paper may be their last chance to express deep emotion.

"It's something to show the public," said Robert Reldan, who is serving a life term for murder. "Some of us have made mistakes but there's always a potential for good if it's tapped."

There's another advantage to having a creative outlet: "It also keeps our minds from turning into mush," he added.

Reldan is among those continuing LaBruno's legacy by participating in a weekly poetry class LaBruno started two years ago. The group's work is published in Harvest, a quarterly booklet of poems circulated at the prison.

"I usually try to slant the issues to the season," explained 53-year old Reldan, specifically referring to a poem about springtime. "Spring is a time of hope and renewal. There's such a sense of loss, of the futility of life down here (in prison)." LaBruno's poetry, published in a Harvest issue dedicated to his memory, ranges from a tribute to Mother Theresa ("... and while riding the rise, your current pours His name, and pleases your God so well...") to a war-torn Bosnia ("...Europeans are saying it's for effect to get U.N. attention to make them intercede, as the world looks on aghast, eyes bulged from their sockets..."). Other writers simply describe cold, lonely nights spent missing wives, girlfriends, children and other loved ones in the outside world.

Some poems offer social commentary, Reldan's "Sweatin", for example, deals with the paradox of bulimics in America and starving children in Somalia.

"People all over the world haven't had a meal in months, and millions are spent in this country to lose weight," he said.

Describing living conditions in his prison cell, Reldan writes:

I awoke today
and rubbed my eyes
but it was only yesterday. . .
With another name.

I looked around the barren cell
and rubbed my eyes
but reality stayed the same.

I sighed
and slowly wiped my eyes
because it was only tomorrow. . .
With another name.

Geegory Montagino has a law degree, a wife and children. Though he'll spend the next few years in prison, he considers himself lucky to be unlike most inmates at the Trenton facility, who are in for life.

Montagino, 39, joined the poetry group in his search for an avenue for intellectual exercise. He also wanted a touch of humanity.

"We're so restricted here. For one to show any kind of sensitivity is a sign of weakness," Montagino said. "It's not just a bunch of guys getting together to write poetry."

Dolores Hewitt, assistant directory of education at the prison, was instrumental in starting the poetry class. LaBruno's persistence in presenting his poems to her is what sparked her interest.

Hewitt, impressed by the verses, encouraged him to send his work to professionals, which led LaBruno to Maria Gillan, directory of the Poetry Center at Passaic Community College.

Gillan, who eventually became LaBruno's mentor, describes LaBruno's work as "intriguing and vital." As his work progressed, he pursued it with tremendous vigor, she said. "You're not going to find someone like Michael every day. He could have been a millionaire just as easily as end up in prison," said Gillan.

Through LaBruno's collaboration with Gillan, his skills developed to the point that he went on to win several poetry writing awards, including one from the Chicago Review, a highly respected literary magazine. Change, a Main publication, chose LaBruno as the featured poet in a tribute upon his death.

"He just really took off. There are a lot of people who are in situations like his, who for some reason when they were younger, didn't get the chance they should have had," Gillan related.

"He could have been a well known poet or an English professor. Instead, he ends up dying in jail. It seems there should be a way we could reach people. It's a waste of human potential," Gillan said.

Today, poetry teacher Bill Carhart leads the weekly class with Reldan as assistant. There, students receive tips on how to talk to the publishing media, as well as other practical information.

He said the class consists of two groups: beginners who are interested in learning how to write, and established poets who wish to get published.

Classes vary from the teaching of sonnets, odes and the history of poetry by Carhart, to a more practical hands-on format, usually conducted by Reldan.

"Many have advanced from Hallmark-type of rhymes to sophisticated forms in a matter of months," said Carhart, who admits he was skeptical at first.

"A man here has a very long time and to be able to find something to express himself creatively has a positive effect," he said.

More importantly, for Montagino, is the message that writing poetry can send to those with preconceived notions about inmates.

Said Montagino: We made mistakes. We're looking to get on with our lives. We do have families and children. Some of us are trying."