Poem: “Ain’t No Second Life”
Ain’t No Second Life
I started off when I was young, explicit situations.
A whole lot of drama, family problems
I was raised to have respect, but I was raised wit no father.
I see the temptation, and I feel the fire when my heart beat
I’m weezing when I speak; it’s kind of hard for me to breathe.
The chills from the wind and the smoke in my system
Got me paranoid in the night.
I do what I gotta do, but I can’t do what I wanna do
Without God in your shoes, it’s kind of hard to do right…
That’s why I think twice when I move
‘Cause it ain’t no second life when you lose,
So make a choice when you choose.
7 Comments
Leave a Comment
The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Poem “Ain’t No Second life”
Through this poem I can feel a sense of growth, maturity. I really enjoyed the last stanza, when you say:
“That’s why I think twice when I move
‘Cause it ain’t no second life when you lose,
So make a choice when you choose.”
To me it speaks volumes, it says that not only do you NOT respond to temptation (which you mentioned on the poem) but you are cautioning others to do right.
I totally agree with you that our decisions are heavy. We are what we say and what we do. We often forget the impact we can leave. I hope that you are living your life in a way that you only need one to do all you want to do. Keep writing! Your words are inspiring.
KC
I thought this poem was very well written and I liked how it has an emphasis on the importance of choices in life. Very well done!
I really liked this poem! The lines that stood out of me where, “Cause it ain’t no second life when you lose,
So make a choice when you choose”. SO SO TRUE!! We only have one life, so we have to make the most of it!! Nice work with this poem!
Best.
Samantha
“I started off young…” Unfortunately, I have found this is true for a lot of criminals. I can sympathize with growing up without a father, it sucks and I’m sorry.
“I do what I got to do, but I can’t do what I want to do.” – Very powerful line! Shows how you are trying to survive and you can’t even do the things you want to do, only what you have to do to survive.
This was an amazing poem to read and comment on! I hope you continue to write because I’m finding it can help some people! Wish you the best,
~JP
I think this poem was very well written. I think the title creates a strong message of how we do not get a second life so we have to live the life we are given to the fullest but also be cautious of everything we do. The part about family drama shows that things we are surrounded by and witness can play a role in how we live life and make decisions based on the environment we were once a part of. Keep up the great work!
I agree heavily with the message behind this poem! We should live life to the fullest and soak in very second.