The Great Escape

Through involvement with gangs during his youth and the burden of growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father, poetry has always been a source of peace for Bryan Medina

By Chhun Sun

Poet Bryan Medina sits with his back pressed against a wall. He holds a piece of paper that’s ready to be read and smiles as his co-host steps to the microphone. He bursts into pure laughter as he is introduced as someone who offers “warmth, love and pleasure,” and the full crowd at the CoffeeHouse & Pub laughs along.

When he gets a hold of the mike, Medina redeems himself, but not before glancing once more at his co-host to say thanks for the flattery. Then his smile fades and he gets into character.

Medina has written a number of poems, but tonight he decides to read one he is still working on. His dark black dread-locks and hands float in the air while he reads the poem about his journey in Fresno.

He receives a round of applause when he comes to the end of the poem and walks off stage with a smile.

Medina has traveled a difficult path to establish himself as a locally known poet. The 35-year-old is happy to escape the life he once led.

When Medina exposes his bare right arm, it is broken in three places: the wrist, elbow and shoulder. As willing as he is to show his dislocated arm, he is more reluctant to discuss the cause of the injury.

“ Let’s just say I ran into some gangs,” Medina said. For a poet who has revealed his most personal feelings at coffeehouses and stages throughout California, the cause is something he would rather keep concealed.

Almost 20 years ago, Medina found himself in a hospital. The incident forever changed his life. Instead of lending his hands to gangs, he is now lending them to Fresno Unified as a teacher’s assistant and taking classes at Fresno State. He is also a committee member of the Poetry Jam Production, an organization that encourages people of all races to perform the art of spoken words to others. This semester the organization is promoting their multi-cultural event “The Gardens of the Mind.”

“ I can’t say I regret my past because everything I am now was because of these experiences,” Medina said. “You’re young and you don’t have that foresight, and you do a lot of stupid things—not thinking about the future.”

Born on Jan. 7, 1969, in Denver, Colo., Medina is a product of a Mexican farm laborer and a Haitian-Black Vietnam veteran. Beginning at age 8, he and his family moved to various cities around California, such as Firebaugh, Atwater, Fresno, Orange County and Los Angeles. It was during this time period that he got peer pressured into joining gangs.

“ You either join them or they’ll beat you up,” Medina chuckled.

Medina can now reflect and laugh, but it was difficult to smile during those times, especially being raised by an abusive and alcoholic father. But to relieve some stress, he turned to writing, especially poetry.

“ I couldn’t exactly tell my ‘homies’ what I was feeling and I couldn’t go to my parents, because my old man was barely home and my mom couldn’t do nothing really,” Medina said. “So to get the monkey of my back I did a lot of writing.”

But his form of escapism wasn’t enough to escape the night that placed him in the hospital—and his future in question. Fortunately, he had an understanding judge, who allowed him to have a fresh start and join the Navy.

But his life didn’t get any easier, as he joined at the time of the Gulf War. Nonetheless, his passion for poetry ignited, writing poetry for shipmates to send to their girlfriends. Those shipmates also encouraged him to perform his art. Then at age 21, he took their advice and started to perform his poetry.

Since then, he rarely glances back at his past. But when he does, it is only for inspiration to him as well as others.

In his poem entitled “The Unlocking,” Medina paints a picture of his father. Even through his anger, Medina still has the spirit to give his father respect at the closing of the poem.

“ No matter what happened between us, it was you who made me the man I am.”