Feel My Pain
By AJ
Feel my pain stuck in the game
Trying to play it different ways, but the results always the same
Being stereotyped by what’s on paper before I get to speak
Employers scared to look in my eyes because they might get weak
And see that I am striving and searching for a better life
So they hold their heads down and read my background
And always think twice
What am I to do with three mouths to feed?
My daughter, my son, and even my own
Turn back to what I was raised around
And then I’m considered to be wrong
Am I wrong for trying to survive?
Or am I wrong for the many lives I jeopardized?
No one sees the struggle
They only see the trouble
Now I’m labeled a menace to society and all my charges are doubled
I have so much pain inside, but the government don’t seem to care
They just pile on jail time until it’s too hard for me to bear
Everyone in the world is different, but our struggles are all the same
So I know there are many different versions to “FEEL MY PAIN”
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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.
Wow– you can really feel the pain while reading this poem. It’s so easy to overlook the person behind the stereotype, but you’ve really done a good job of showing what your real life is like as well as the way society sees you. My favorite part is “No one sees the struggle/ They only see the trouble.” Please keep writing– we need to hear more from you!
Incredible. You really capture the emotions and the pain. And this poem makes people THINK – about what they believe, how they might stereotype people, how they act. Very powerful.
AJ, great poem, I like how you reflect upon your life. Prove those who stereotype you wrong by striving to be a better person and bringing positivity to society.