The Flower Boyz

Several days ago, I went to get my annual eye exam. As the optometrist examined my eyes on the phoropter and worked her way through the various lenses that alternately made my vision blurry, then clearer, and finally crystal clear, I was struck by how artistic expression is similar to this process it has long been accepted that art imitates life and life gives us a vast array of artistic expressions. Music, film, dance, writing, and more provide a lens through which we can experience life. I have always loved to read. That love started in my youth through my love of animals. Dogs, cats, and various reptiles led me to animal stories. "Where The Red Fern Grows," "White Fangs," "The Call of The Wild" and Old Yeller" Were some of the first books that took me beyond The Riverside Housing Projects I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. I ran through The Ozark Mountains with Big Dan and Little Ann on the trail of a smart old raccoon with as much enthusiasm as I fought to survive the rough housing projects I found myself in, just like White Fang did in Jack London's Yukon Territory. As I grew, I learned that artistic expression worked in several ways... while it allows people to experience different aspects of life beyond their own world...it also acts like a two-way mirror that allows one to see, hear, and digest the world from the artist's perspective. As a young man, I realized that writing, as a form of artistic expression, gave me the opportunity to exercise my frustration and anger in a healthy way. In October 2002, I was convicted of 1st Degree Murder and sentenced to a Natural Life term of imprisonment and immediately transferred to The Supermax Housing Unit(SHU) at The James T. Vaughn Correction Center in Smyrna, Delaware. I spent the next eight straight years in Supermax in a cycle of violence, rebellion, and ignorance. The Flowers Boys was written over the span of 4 years during my isolation in Supermax. The Flowers Boys afforded me the opportunity to travel into the darkest recesses of my mind and soul to uncover some of the issues that had shaped my thought processes and motivated my actions. It is the truth...Hurt People, in turn, Hurt People. A deeper truth is that many hurt people do not realize how hurt they are because they've grown desensitized to the pain, anger, and heartaches that have molded their lives. While The Flowers Boys is a work of fiction, my hope is that it reflects some of the elements that shape the mentalities of young men and women of African descent in America. I pray you to enjoy and thank you for your time. Damone Flowers