Today is a Bad Day
By MS
Today is a bad day
I wish I’d never had one before
But bad days consume my life
I have no escape from them
Today is a day when I wonder…
Where is the support for us brothers in the struggle?
When I ask you for your friendship while doing this number
Do you realize what an incredible emotional sacrifice it is?
Do you realize the pain and the never-ending loneliness
That attaches itself to my heart and soul?
Do you realize that yes, you are in this struggle too?
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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 is so powerful, MS. The way that you switch from first person, talking about your own struggle on a bad day, to second person, talking directly to the reader, is fantastic writing – reading it made me feel connected to your struggle and directly responsible for how I respond. Maybe consider adding some concrete images to the poem – what does your pain and never-ending loneliness look like and feel like? If you add that in, it will make the connection the reader feels even more powerful.
I love poems that challenge me when I read them, and this is a fantastic example of that. Please keep writing, and on those bad days, at least know that your words have had a big impact on others. We’re all part of the struggle – thank you for making sure we don’t forget it.
I think the way you address “you” in your poem is really daring and it affected me. It reached out, grabbed me by the neck, looked me in the eye, and said, “Pay attention. We are human beings in here. You and I both–we’re human beings. I may be behind bars, but these bars do not make our struggle separate.” Thank you.
You have many friends you haven’t met yet, myself leading the bunch. Don’t give up. You have purpose.