What I Want
By TH
I want to be free as a bird in the sky.
I want to become a published author
and pass on a book of advice to my daughter.
I want to be loved and give love
to someone becoming worthy of being called my wife.
I want the federal system to fully acknowledge youthful offenders
incarcerated for offenses committed before their 25th birthday,
just like the IRAA and The Second Look Act already do in D.C.*
I want to travel to Mecca to make Hajj
I want to eat pizza in Rome
I want to drive up the Calfornia coastline in a convertible
I want to speak to the youth to tell them it’s a better way to earn a living
I want to start a non-profit for kids with incarcerated parents.
Last but not least I want to give back more than I take from the world.
*The Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) and the Second Look Amendment Act are DC laws that state that individuals incarcerated for crimes committed when they were under 25 can petition the court for resentencing after 15 years of incarceration
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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.
The last part of this poem is one I find so touching! The fact you wrote that you want to give back more than you take from the world speaks volumes about your character and shows how selfless you are. I wish the best for you and that you will continue to write and finally live out your dreams of becoming a published author. I think this poem is amazing and you could definitely make it there. I know it is hard, but try to stay positive and to not worry what is out of your control. Focus on what gives you peace, and if that is writing, please keep doing that! You are so strong!
I hope that one day our justice system evolves and takes into account the humanity of those who are incarcerated. I hope one day you will turn these aspirations into a reality.
This poem is heartfelt and inspiring, blending personal dreams with a powerful call for justice. Your hopes for freedom, love and legacy come through clearly, and the message about reform adds meaningful depth.
love your words and your vision i pray that you are able to get some of what you desire out of this life. I love the idea about a non profit for kids whose parents are incarcerated its a wonderful idea and I know it would make a huge impact on the lives of those children and their future.
Your opening line simile is very nice, being like a bird is like being an author, and then giving a book of advice to your daughter. Free verse poem is very beautiful and you did a good job carrying that out. My favorite line has to be “I want the federal system to fully acknowledge youthful offenders
incarcerated for offenses committed before their 25th birthday,
just like the IRAA and The Second Look Act already do in D.C.*”
I think with that, it carries out the unjust way this act makes you feel, being in a poetry class I realize that good poems are the ones you dig deep on, and the ones you are completely honest, when it comes from the heart you can easily tell and your poem lets everyone know that.
I love your use of similies!
This piece is a beautiful vision of purpose, healing, and hope—it speaks with the heart of a dreamer and the soul of a leader. Your goals reflect a deep desire not just for personal freedom and fulfillment, but for justice, legacy, and service to others. These words inspire belief in transformation and show that even from confinement, powerful dreams can soar.
This is so full of life and intention. The dreams feel specific and grounded in purpose, especially your desire to give back. It’s hopeful but also rooted in real advocacy.
Hi TH,
I love this poem! The repetition of “I want” clearly conveys the ambitious and hopeful tone of the work, and shows your willingness to make those things happen. I hope that these goals are achievable for you in the near future!
Great poem 🙂
This was beautifully written, thank you. You deserve all of that and more. I have been to Mecca—not for Hajj, but InshaAllah we will both be able to make that one day. The specific examples you chose and the way you arranged them in this poem were incredibly moving and really contributed to the strong feelings of frustration yet hope. Incredible job.
This was such a good poem! I really enjoyed how you were able to be so straight forward about these “wants” while also being so poetic (I’ve tried to do this and it’s incredibly difficult). The message is also so unique and inspiring. The use of repetition was super powerful and mentioning specific things, like the IRAA and Hajj, really gave insight into who you are. Thank you!
This poem is heartfelt and full of hope. It shows the writer’s dreams for personal freedom, love, travel, and making a positive difference in the world. The mix of big goals and meaningful causes makes it inspiring and relatable.
This poem is heartfelt and full of dreams, blending personal hopes with a strong desire to help others. I like how it moves from simple joys, like pizza in Rome, to deeper goals, like giving back and creating change for youth. It feels honest, inspiring, and full of purpose.
This is a very powerful poem. It contains desires and wishes that many people want to do at some point in their lives, but for this poet, they will certainly be more challenging to acquire. This poem shows how freedom is not to be taken for granted, but to be appreciated for the beautiful thing that it is. I also think the notion of giving more than taking is so valuable. If more people understood that being generous and putting others before yourself can genuinely change the world, we’d be living in a better place. Thank you, TH, for opening my eyes, impacting me, and sharing a vulnerable aspect of yourself. I wish you the best, and God bless.
I really appreciate the beginning of this poem. The simile to a “bird in the sky” speaks to your desires of freedom. As the poem progresses, we learn more about your wants- from travel, to writing, and future plans to give back to the world. There are good components of change making within this poem, but I want to learn more. What is this nonprofit for kids, how will it work, what exactly will it do to help these children. Thank you for writing this.
This poem is a heartfelt list of dreams. It mixes the author’s personal hopes with their desire to create change for others. The poem feels both tender and determined. It shows that the author is someone who wants love, freedom, and joy while also leaving a lasting impact on the world.
This is such a beautiful list of dreams and goals. I love how it blends personal hopes with a deep desire to give back and inspire others. It’s honest, uplifting, and really shows a heart full of purpose.
This poem beautifully blends personal dreams with a deep sense of justice and service to others. I really liked how your wants move from joyful experiences to powerful acts of giving back—such an inspiring vision.
This is inspiring—personal dreams and bigger hopes come together beautifully, showing both heart and purpose.
This is inspiring—such a beautiful mix of personal dreams, family love, spiritual goals, and a drive to create change. It feels both deeply human and larger than life, like a roadmap of purpose.
This piece is so moving it carries dreams that are personal, spiritual, and transformative all at once. I love how it blends a longing for freedom and love with a deep sense of justice and giving back. It feels like both a vision and a legacy in the making.
This piece is so moving—it blends big dreams with deeply human desires, from love and family to travel and faith. What makes it powerful is how personal hopes (pizza in Rome, driving the California coast) sit right beside systemic ones (IRAA, Second Look Act). It shows that freedom is not just about being outside prison walls, but about building a life of purpose, legacy, and giving back. The closing line especially leaves an impact—it frames all those dreams within service to others.
This poem is so heartfelt. It reads like a manifesto of hope, intermixing everyday desires (pizza in Rome) with goals (faith, giving back), which makes it so inspiring. The poem expands from the self to community, showing a vision of freedom for all.
I really enjoyed this piece — it felt both heartfelt and inspiring. I like how you shared your wants in such an honest way, from personal dreams like love and travel to bigger hopes like justice for young people and helping kids with incarcerated parents. The mix of big goals and everyday joys, like eating pizza in Rome or driving the California coast, made it really relatable. What stood out most to me was the last line about giving back more than you take — that felt like the heart of the whole poem, and it left me with a lot of hope.
You wrote a beautiful expression of the idea of a better future that keeps us going. I sincerely hope you receive the life that you wish for and deserve! Our dreams are what keep us going, and your dreams inspire me as well. Thank you for your beautiful words.
I really liked this poem because it’s honest, inspiring, and full of dreams that feel real and personal. The way you listed your goals made it easy to follow and showed different sides of who you are—your hopes, your love for family, your desire to help others, and your passion for experiencing the world. This poem is very inspiring and heartfelt.
I got chills. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for the last line. I’m sure your daughter is proud of you. Sending you all my love.
This poem is really heartfelt and full of hope. I love how it mixes big dreams with deep values, from personal goals to wanting to make a difference in the world. It feels honest and inspiring, like a reminder to keep striving for growth, love, and purpose.
This poem is filled with hope, purpose, and a deep desire for redemption and connection. Each line carries both personal dreams and selfless ambitions, showing a heart that seeks not only freedom but also to make a difference in others’ lives. It’s inspiring how the writer balances personal wishes, love, travel, and creativity with powerful goals of justice and giving back. The poem feels like a promise to live meaningfully, turning past struggles into a future of hope and purpose.