Poem: “Slowly Fading Away”
Slowly Fading Away
I feel like I’m slowly fading
Like smoke into thin air
In constant search of a caring soul
But no one really cares
It’s rare to find a genuine heart, truly sincere and kind
Expecially when you end up in a predicament like mine
Snatched away from society at a very young age
With no guidance and no structure, I was living in a haze
But the past is done and gone and my future seems bleak
I’m slowly fading away
Like a drunk when he drinks
I think this life is worth living
Sometimes it’s hard to tell
It’s like I was born into Satan’s hands, then cast into hell
My potential is at a peak, where I’m beginning to see
But twenty years from now, who knows where I’ll be
Still locked in a cell where my potential and worth is a “was”—a thing of the past
So vast my dreams and goals, things I aspire to achieve
It’s a daily struggle for me to continue to believe
To believe that I could actually be more than a thug
To believe that a woman still wants to give me a kiss with her love
Still wants to see me smile and tell me I’m so cute
To see that I’ve blossomed into a wonderful man
Though I didn’t have rich roots
Locked away like this, everyone seems to forget
I’m slowly fading away
Into a bottomless pit
Out of sight, out of mind, damn it’s a shame
Sometimes I wonder if certain people even remember my name
In a predicament like this you become very aware
Before, ignorance was bliss and you don’t know to be scared
I feel like I have so much to offer
But am I really even here?
Time waits for no one, and no one sees my tears
I’m ripe and ready for whatever
I’m 21 years young
Sometimes my soul feels 80, like it’s almost done
I’m slowly fading away
Into a mist of confusion
Constantly wondering if my life is just an illusion
10 Comments
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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.
Dear Free Minds Poet,
This is one of the most powerful poems I’ve ever read. Here’s a promise: I will share your poem with my students, and by them reading it, you will NOT fade away. Even in prison, you will have a voice that impacts other people. You have worth, no matter where you are. You can still be a force of love and acceptance with those around you.
Keep writing!
Indeed! This is one of the most powerful poems I have come across. I had no knowledge of this being an inmate until the poem began to evolve; I just happened upon it. Nonetheless, I will tell you, the inmate who wrote this, you certainly have a very powerful, silent voice. To the teacher who replied above, I commend you for giving the writer the ability to touch your student’s minds.
Man I hear you, I really connect with what you have to say. I think you gotta take another look at your situation though. Your past mighta been less than picture perfect, but you obviously learned some things while goin down that road, and the future is far from over. Were all struggling, but believe me if you use your 80 year old soul, youll be alright and much happier than other people our age strugglin in the same way.
You definitely got it right that if you ARE NOT on the outside living your ambitions, up to what YOU see your potential is, then you are slowly fading away everyday. You’ll just get more confused and upset till you go after it or dont go after it at all. Make moves while youre at the top of your potential and you’ll reach great heights.
Life IS an illusion, and I think the only way you can be a part of it is by interacting with people and going after your passions. If your actions are genuine and ambitious, then you’ll end up with genuine and ambitious people around you, kinda how thugs end up with thugs.
Genuine people exist but are hard to recognize sometimes. The good thing is that they’re out there and looking for you too, so keep your eyes open. Remember the ones you find cuz they’ll remember you.
Keep up the good work man
Definitely some powerful feelings that come through in this poem. When I’m reading it, I feel like the author is talking right to me. You just want to let that person know that there are people out here who care. That’s a really evocative poem that can call up that kind of response in a reader. Nice work.
The variation between line lengths is nice in that it varies up the rhythm and helps the poem avoid becoming sing-songy, which is a risk sometimes when you use rhyming. I really like where you get into specific details, or concrete metaphors. “slowly fading away/like a drunk when he drinks” is a really great metaphor and one that’s not cliche. Also, that idea that your soul feels like 80 is a really powerful expression – great job at capturing that feeling. You could have gone on and on with a bunch of adjectives, but instead you found a simple metaphor – old age- and went with it. Perfect. Look for other places that you can come up with stronger metaphors or concrete descriptions.
There is a solid poem in here; the author’s voice is strong. I’m looking forward to seeing a rewrite of this piece. Keep it up! This is great!
That was real deep ,no bullsH*t man because at sometimes I felt like I was gonna disappear. It’s up until the point when your down and out before you see who’s in your corner. It’s messed up but it’s true it’s like everybody shows there true colors.
This poem spoke for every young dude that had his freedom taking away at a early age so man me personally have been that route and back but that poem basically took all my inner-beliefs so uit was kinda like staring my thoughts face to face . So thanks man its good to kno that people out here realize what’s going on. Big ups to the author
I feel so many of those emotions with none of the same reasons to. Your poem really spoke to me in that you and i, however different, can have such a deep connection and understanding. I really admire your ability to recognize these thoughts and feelings, as that is one of the hardest things for me to do personally. I think that you do have a future, you can be somewhere significant in 20 years, you just have to be as honest with yourself in real life as you were in this poem. The words were deep and meaningful, the structure was beautiful, and the meaning will stick with me forever.
This is a really powerful poem. The things you write about to capture your sense of weariness and despair — having a soul that feels like it’s 80, wondering if people remember you, etc. — it really puts the reader in your shoes and gets across what you’re feeling. You wrote that it’s a struggle for you to believe that you could be anything but a thug — well, hopefully this poem has shown you that you are a thoughtful, creative, and talented person whose poetry can really make people stop and think.
That was very touching… you have a wonderful skill in writing, keep writing…
Your writing will never be fade because it touches the hearts of those who read it; I assure you that because it touches my heart too. You touched our heart…^_^
Good Job! 2 thumbs up for you^_^
I will share it to my friends thru fb^_^
Hi Poet,
First, thank you so much for taking the time to write this poem. I understand that sometimes its easy to fall into the shadows. Sometimes we go through everyday just “surviving” life instead of “living” it, and that feeling makes it harder to complete the next day, and the day after that. If you could find mechanisms that give you joy, I would say explore that and turn it into a hobby so it can bring happiness to your world. I hope that you are doing well and I wish you the best! <3