Incarcerated Scholars Conference Art Gallery 2025

Plant of Renown

Ben Israel

Knox College

Illinois

Fresh morning breeze.
Swaying back and forth rhythmically as if possessed by tribal drums.
The beautiful glorious sun shining on my skin
Allowing me to feel its comforting radiating heat.
I’m up and at attention
Looking at the world around me
Observing a harmonious community.
All working as one.
No complaints.
The tickle of a bee buzzing and landing on my arm
Bringing a deep calm and a warm feeling.
A Kinship.
Familiarity.
Hello there my friend.
A good morning to you.
Off she flies
Acquainting herself with the rest of the family.
Feeding and serving her purpose
Benefiting all of humanity.
The smell of fresh tilled dirt snapping me back to attention.
The aroma of fresh loam.
Reminding me of its life sustaining minerals that sustain life for all.
Sustaining the fruit I bear
Fruit with a perpetual seed.
The seeds that will give me life next season.
And season after season.
Thanking my Father for gifting me immortality.
For allowing me to serve Him
To sustain His creation.
Thankful for being
A Plant of Renown.

Artist Statement

I like to write about what inspires me: nature/ religion/spirituality, plants and my memories of home. I am deeply moved by Indigenous writers. The poem On this Island on which I love you is a tribute to Native Hawaiian poet Brandy Nālani McDougall--a Kānaka Maoli author, poet, educator, literary activist, and associate professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

If you are the artist of an artwork featured in this gallery and want it removed, please reach out to alliance@higheredinprison.org