Life Story
By A.R.
How do I start my life story?
Should I start when I popped out my Mother in 1994
or do I start on the day when my Father walked out the door
maybe I’ll start on the playground
where ears were covered to block out the sound of gun sound
where a body could be found where I play
and police harass me and friends all day
writin’ my life in poetry is hard if you have nowhere
to start
Wait I can start….
When I slept with the bathroom light on
because I was scared of the dark
or even when I got beat up in the park
because I wouldn’t share my chalk
or how I was laughed at in school
because I wore shoes with no socks-
Sometimes, how do I write poetry bout my life?
When half the time I don’t know if where me and my family
Goin’ sleep at night
or was I going to be alive the following night
and make it to sunlight.
Okay, hold on, I got it get ready to take notes
starting at 10-
when I seen crack addicts sleep in the hallway
high off the drugs they smoked the previous day
when teachers in school called me dumb-
because of my test grades
So How do I start my life story?
When I can start from so many places
So, you pick like your favorite food on a menu
until then my life story is to be continued….
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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.
A.R., thanks for sharing this with me. It starts now.
This is heartbreaking. You’ve struggled so much. Your poetry reflects that too, it seems to capture that emotion so well. Saying your “life story will continue” I’m guessing means you haven’t give up hope yet. What really struck me was the line, “or even when I got beat up in the park/ because I wouldn’t share my chalk,” I can really empathize with that, as something very similar happened to me as a child. Keep writing, your style of writing is very unique and should be appreciated for being so.