I Was Once Considered A Number…

By GD

I was once considered a number

Locked away deprived of my shine.

Late night story telling through the bars to a friend,

Headline reading, from much stress and worries,

Newspaper headline and Fox 5 press stories,

Made me out to be an animal something unreal,

Like I had no heart or emotions to feel.

Free-minds changed everything with a speech I could feel

Taught me how to put my words on paper so the whole world could feel

I told me to keep my head up high and my feet down low

Promised to help me on this long road I had to go,

They have kept this promise on this road so far

Sending warm greetings and smiles from a place so far.

Now I feel in debt not just to myself but them

To prove the world wrong that I didn’t lose

But I promise to win…

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2 Comments

  1. Anna Carpentiere on November 15, 2022 at 2:49 PM

    This poem is very powerful and I can feel the author’s emotions through the writing. There have been many people in this world that have been degraded down to being known as a number. People don’t like the numbers because they have no meaning and no emotion, it makes it easier to disregard someone. Having a place to let out your emotions is very helpful so that they don’t get bottled up. The last two lines are very powerful and creative, good job. You got this and remember the best is yet to come!

    Reply
  2. Oshane on February 21, 2023 at 7:33 PM

    Hi GD,

    Inspiring message about redemption and the transformative power of education. Thank you for sharing your experience of being incarcerated and dehumanized, reduced by the media to a number and a stereotype. But through the help of Free-minds, you have been given a platform, the tools and a voice to tell your story and connect with the world

    Free-minds is doing an outstanding job of providing a platform for incarcerated persons access to freedom of expression through poetry.

    Looking forward to hearing more from you 🙂

    Reply

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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.