Untitled
By WS
I was a young man on a confused journey.
Lost inside my own world.
Misled to a path that never existed.
A child in the streets who grew up to be a man with no vision
and no presence.
Outside, my world appeared bright,
but inside my heart was full of pouring rain.
The only love I ever knew was the streets.
Until it divorced me,
leaving me all alone.
I became a victim in my own savage game.
Untamed, until I was forced into locks and chains.
But never will I cry.
Everyday is now a blessing.
By losing, a winner I became.
It took me a long time to see it when all
I had to do was just open my eyes.
17 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.
WS,
Thank you for sharing your journey in this poem! You’re very open to your readers about where you used to be in life and how that has changed as time went on. You’re turning a difficult situation into one where you can better yourself in the end.
Hi WS,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem about perspective. I liked reading about your insights in life. The contrasts in this poem are very strong: from “untamed to “locks and chains”, and “a path” that “never existed”, it is clear this poem was well thought-out. Additionally, there is the contrast from the beginning of the poem, in which your heart was “full of pouring rain” and now you see “everyday as a blessing”. Your journey is inspiring and I encourage you to keep writing about your past and future.
WS, this was such a well-written poem and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Your imagery and symbolism are outstanding and grasp the readers attention from the start. I specifically loved your metaphor of “marriage” and how you seemed married to the streets and it “divorced” you, it made your poem even more powerful. Your story is truly inspiring and I am glad that you have become a winner and are bettering yourself. Wishing you all the best, keep writing!
WS your poem is deeply introspective and shows how our environment can shape our life and decisions. You clearly recognize how your surroundings shaped your choices and you highlight that really well Donovan.
The language of “The only love I ever knew was the streets / Until it divorced me” is so poignant because it highlights how even an option of last resort can fail. I hope that, for you, every day does come as a blessing.
WS,
Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your journey with us. I love the line in your last stanza, “By losing, a winner I became.” Sometimes it means abandoning our way of life to truly find our life purpose.
Keep writing!
Hi WS,
Thank you for sharing this poem. I grew up in a small ghetto in the mid peninsula. I’ve had some of my own experiences early on in these streets. When you write “The only love I’ve ever know was the streets until it divorced me” resonates deeply. I’ve learned over time that the streets do not truly love anyone. As you stated, that world is only savage. Great job delivering, for those who can not relate, I’m sure they can feel your words!
Good luck on your journey.
Dear WS,
I really appreciate your words and the poem. I appreciate your sharing. As a man in his 20s who has also been lost in life a few times, I can feel your emotions and challenges. Regardless of what difficulties you have had, or you might encounter in the future, please do share your free minds out through poetry, because readers like me can resonate with your sentiments, and we can be here for you.
Sincerely,
Bill
Dear WS,
I hope you get this note. I wanted to thank you for the incredible poem you wrote. I just read it and it made such an impression on me. The line I loved most of all was “Outside, my world appeared bright,
but inside my heart was full of pouring rain.” That’s a really striking and memorable image, and it says so much. I’m glad you have written about your struggle. It is an inspiration to read your words. I wish you all the best.
Hi WS,
Thank you for sharing this intimate piece. Your line, “By losing, a winner I became” really stood out to us due to the power one’s perspective has on adversity. We are grateful that you put your experiences into words so that others can hear your story. You’re inspiring!
Hello WS,
I hope this review finds you well. I loved your poem and the intensity behind it. I think its a raw and real story that unravels and ends in the most purest way. I appreciate you sharing this and using literature and writing as a way to express your struggles. What I loved the most about your poem was the line ” By losing, a winner I became.” The oxymoron usage really makes a statement and I think it is a great way to view life. That losing doesn’t always leave us with nothing, but rather with more than what we started with. A loss is a lesson learned and that is always a win in the eyes of an adult.
Thank you for sharing your poem. Your words are beautiful and reflective. Although the journey of life can be hard, your poem reminded me that “every day is a blessing.”
This poem really resonated with me. I can relate to feeling a bit lost and misled, and I’ve definitely felt a lot of abandonment in my life. I feel like these words speak volumes about depression, whether that was the intention or not. I hope you really do find yourself someday; best of luck.
I am a student in a community service course at Wayne State in Detroit whose goal is to engage with the community beyond the university. When I discovered Free Minds I was immediately thrilled to see the connections build around your writings and heart, and what you have to offer is a powerful and beautiful gift to the community. It was a true privilege getting the opportunity to read what is on your heart and mind, your desires and passions, thoughts, and struggles. You have so much to say, so much wisdom to give, and such deep experiences and desires to share with the community that people from all walks of life, backgrounds, beliefs, and ages can deeply connect with and affiliate with. Keep engaging with the community and making your voice heard. You bring healing, hope, and renewal of mind to many who have the privilege to share in your poetry. Your poem has so much movement and direction, you start out in a regretting reflection, a victim to the path that you were on, and end as a triumphant victor whose eyes are now open in the light. The last paragraph is beautiful, thank you for sharing with the community. Sometimes we need to go through something to see there is another side, to even get there. It seems like you did the same by saying “by losing a winner I became.” I am so happy for you, it seems you are in a place of peace and have hope in the midst of everything.
Hi there! Your poem was truly inspiring to me. I think that it truly expressed how silent battles are fought everyday by people, though everything may seem fine externally. I think this poem displayed great strength and I was particularly moved by the fourth line that reads “A child in the streets who grew up to be a man with no vision.” This line I feel, captures the struggle of not just trying to survive without guidance, but it shows that focusing on survival doesn’t allow much thought about anything else and it shows the immediate disadvantage placed on trying to create a real life for oneself. I also think this poem showed bravery, because it takes real change to turn a negative mindset to a positive one, and the positives are still what is focused on, which is truly influential.
Hi WS,
I think this poem is so great. The way you describe your journey, what led you to your transformation, is so profound, and there are just so many amazing lines. The lines “Misled to a path that never existed. A child in the streets who grew up to be a man with no vision and no presence” makes it so easy to empathize with and understand what you went through when you were younger. Wanting so desperately to have purpose, only for that purpose to “never exist”, is so poignant. Therefore, it made me happy to read the last stanza. “It took me a long time to see it when all I had to do was just open my eyes.” Wow! There’s such truth to that—having your true purpose right in front of you the whole time. But like you illustrate in the poem, that’s not an easy realization. I’m so glad you got to that place.
This poem was profound, it was relatable in multiple parts of it. Your words held a strong value, a very well-done poem.