THE DEATH ROW POET
Ronald Wayne Clark Jr.
Possible Innocent
"No matter how hard I try to explain, I can never make you fully comprehend what a day in my life is like. For you to experience it for 24 hours or even seven days, would be to cheapen the experience. To see the whole picture, you would have to step into my world. Step into this cage and have the door slam shut behind you (for nothing around here closes without a slam)."
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My Final Journey
(written by Ronald W. Clark, Jr., May, 2004)
I'm strapped to a gurney
For my final journey
For all to see
Premeditated homicide
is what it will be
The liquid will flow
through the I.V. below
My eyes will shut
my lungs will collapse
and my heart will burst
and my body will be driven off
in a pearly white hearse.
In the name of justice
is what they will cry
but the justice they seek
was nothing more than a lie.
For it was all quite phony
with false testimony
the trial was a sham
yes, one big scam.
For I had no support
from the US Court
who assigned me Mr. Davis
an incompetent attorney
and that's why I'm off
on my final journey.
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Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Dear Kay Lee
Your letter was forwarded to me from Florida State Prison and it was nice to hear from you.
I'm going to have all of my poetry and writings sent to you and if you could put them up on the website, that would be great. I'd like them left up even after the death penalty is abolished just to remind people of the injustice of it.
I'm in the county jail. I've dropped my appeals and I'm trying to get an execution date set up for this summer. I've got a speech and all written up that I'm going to give right before they kill me. Stuff like that I'm trying to get put up where it'll stay up.
On help for myself, I'm no longer seeking any. At one time I tried to find a lawyer and never had any luck with it. Now, it's no longer an issue.
For the past two and a half months I've come to accept the fact that I'm
going to die at some point, and now is as good a time as any.
By the way, I'm 34 years old and over 1/3 of my life has been spent in a 9x6 foot cell. Now I'm going to escape this cell through death and the great state of Florida is going to assist me. It is what I want, it's what I need. I don't expect others to understand, for I realize they can't. No one can walk in my shoes nor can I walk in any one else's.
Kay Lee, thank you for writing and thank you for your help. Please take care and may God bless you and keep you strong.
Lots of Love,
Ronnie
Ronald W. Clark Jr. aka The Death Row Poet
March 2003
Ronald W. Clark Jr.
200007381
D.C.F.
500 East Adams Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
LETTER TO MY FATHER
To Ronald Wayne Clark Sr.
015851
Union CI
7819 N,W, 228th Street
Raiford, Florida 32036-4020Dear Dad,
It's 6:09, February 1st, 2003, Saturday morning. Good morning. I hope you're okay. I love you!
I received your letter last night, and I understand your concerns.
When I wrote that letter to the judge and attorneys, I gave it a
lot of thought and I knew if I mailed it, I was going all the way and that's what I'm doing - It's a done deal! There will be no looking back. I'm going for it.
Monday I went outside for an hour and a half. I have to go downstairs to go out, and one of the doors I walk through is one of the doors that many men have walked through heading to the execution chamber.
I stood at the bars that lead to the execution chamber and imagined the fear I will feel walking down there, and yes, there will be fear. But I will face it and accept it and I will continue on. I will overcome the fear and not let it overcome me. I'll be alright. i know exactly what I'm doing and what I want.
A lot of people are trying to talk me out of it. Susan Cary was here to see me Thursday and she spent the whole hour trying to talk me out of it. I told her it wouldn't work and to please just support my decision and stand by me. I think she finally realized that I'm going all the way. February 7th 2003 will make 13 years I've been incarcerated and that's enough for me!
I've seen these guys, grown men, have to stand facing a wall like a child. I've seen officers scream at them and I won't put up with that and I don't want to deal with prison.
A question I answered for a magazine, "Would you rather live?" I said, "For what? To spend my life dealing with a bunch of dumb-ass inmates and a bunch of uneducated guards that want to be called correctional officers?" and that's the way I feel about it. I'm glad you can deal with them. But it's not what I want. I'd rather deal with death, and so I shall.
To each his own. I know it's not a 130-mile-an-hour motorcycle ride where I'm just flirting with death. Nope! I'm fixing to meet death head on, grab it, and dance with it.
Pop, I know what I'm doing and what I want. I just hope that death holds the key to the mystery of life.
This life has been - and brought - one heartache after another. Hopefully all of my pain, fears, regrets will all come to an end soon.
I've made a lot of choices in life, most were bad choices. Most choices I've made, I've never understood, maybe because they were not my choices but choices that drugs and alcohol played a part in making. I don't understand life or my decisions and I've never claimed to. But life and death carry on long after we're gone. One day, maybe we will understand what it's all about. If there's another side, I'll see you over there.
On Q-wing the cells are warm. On the other wings I've heard its pretty cool.
I sent word that I'm going through with this so he would know. He's talked about it many times and now I'm the one that's doing it. I need to bring this to a close. I love you very much! Please take care of yourself and may God bless you and keep you strong.
Love, your son,
Ronnie aka The Death Row PoetFrom Ronald Clark Jr.
Florida State Prison
7819 N.W. 228th Street
Raiford, Florida 32026-1000
EMAILTHE DEATH ROW POET
Ronald W. Clark Jr.
thedeathrowpoet@sbcglobal.net
RONALD WAYNE CLARK JR.
Welcome To My World.
ABUSE OF POWER - ABUSE OF RULES
