Giving Up
It hurts real bad, knowing what I know
Only I know, you know what I show
But deep down the war is over
The flame has been put out
All weapons have been put down
Inside, there’s no more warriors standing
When I look around!
I’m throwing in the towel
Because I believe all is lost
I won’t chance winning, that’s
A line I won’t cross
Knowing that my life as I know it
I won’t get back again
I feel so much pain
That my tears should fall like rain
But they are stuck
-I guess I’m giving up
3 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.
There aren’t any words to express how sad this makes me. The lines where you say “I won’t chance winning, that’s /A line I won’t cross” are heartbreaking. I wish so much for you. I can’t tell you what you should believe in, but I hope you find something to keep you going. There are so many beautiful things in this world and you are so much more than a jail cell. Never forget that. There are a lot of things you can do– plan and prepare for your future. You still have one, use it wisely.
You may feel like giving up but from what I’ve read in your poem, it sounds like by giving up you will be depriving the world of a wonderful talent. Your poem is so strong and full of potential. Things may not be the same as before but sometimes change can bring something better than you could’ve imagined. Think of a butterfly. It’s originally a caterpillar. A caterpillar is small, and slow. It has to crawl to get to food it needs. As humans we rarely notice caterpillars. But then it changes. It surrounds itself by a chrysalis and is trapped inside. Only when it emerges it becomes a butterfly. Something that was barely noticed as a caterpillar is now watched with beauty and awe because it can now do something humans only dream to do. It can fly. Had it never been trapped inside a chrysalis, it would’ve never become something so extraordinary. So never give up hope because sometimes the most extraordinary things come from the most hopeless situations. And that poem is proof that something extraordinary awaits you.
I love the wordplay all throughout the poem! I think it’s a difficult topic to write about so thank you! I feel for you and I hope writing out your emotions will help!
“You know what I show” – Deep and true! Nobody truly knows how you are feeling and sometimes we wish they did! Great poem! I hope times get easier! Don’t give up!
~JP