Where I Have Been, What I Have Learned
Where have I been? I have been thru it all
From a cell to feelin’ like I have been living hell
Sometimes it feels all like a dream
Then I blink once then twice
And realize it’s all here
And I’m right on the scene
Now I realized I made mistakes
I have big dreams
I ask God to forgive my sin
Where have I been? I been thru it all
Where have I been? I been behind them white prison walls
Where have I been? I have been on this place called earth
Where I seen my brother fall
Where have I been?
Do you really want to know?
I’ve been places where you can’t even receive a phone call
It feel like I been thru it all
What have I learned?
I have learned when I fall to crawl
To never steal what I have learned
To always try my best
I’m not on earth to try to impress
What have I learned?
To take life for what it’s worth
To never steal from my mom’s purse
What have I learned?
To never follow always lead
To never cop out always fight it ‘til it bleeds
Or have succeed
I’ve learned sometimes
It might not hurt to freeze
That way you won’t get burned
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.