Mama
Fears explode from her eyes
As the bullets explode from an AK47
Looks of disbelief find their way to her eyes
As she watches her firstborn son
Being taken away by the streets
She tries to warn him
But she doesn’t get through
And now he like “Ma, I should have listened to you,
Because the streets got me arrested
And you just wanted me to go to school”
She says “Don’t blame the streets, son
The one who got arrested was you”
2 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.
This poem is so well constructed and it makes me feel empathy for both you and your mom. Yes, you are the one who got yourself arrested, you did what you did and got caught. But, I’m assuming you grew up or found yourself in a community or neighborhood that recruited the youth into bad situations, and that happens all the time and no one tries to help. This poem is short, but it packs a punch. I’m glad you’re writing now, I don’t know what prison is like, or jail, but I’m glad you’re writing. English is one of my favorite subjects, and so is Art, because it has an infinite number of answers to any question you wish to ask. So keep exploring your emotions, your actions, your consequences, keep on asking and answering all the questions that come to you. The more you work, the better you become. Become the best.
Such a deep way to end the poem… I really think it drives the point of the poem forwards.
I see a common theme among a lot of these poems, the misconceptions of “The streets” that get people in trouble for wanting to fit in or provide for their families.
I hope it gets better and thank you for writing this powerful poem!
~JP