About the Poetry Blog

The poets featured on this page 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. These 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.

Click on the poem title to open it up, and then post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem.

Child of the Ghetto

By AF

Young child of the ghetto,
Through your eyes I can see
the pain,
Memories of the past roaming
through your
brain,
Friends, family, and the people
we used to know blood’s been washed up
by the rain.
Your heart then grew colder,
and acts of violence have gotten
bolder,
Feeling the whole world weighing
down on our shoulders,
And no longer caring whether we
live or die.
Young child of the ghetto
Young child of the ghetto,
I can feel your
pain
Disloyalty, deceit, betrayal, and
mischief
Is mainly what we see
when you live in Southeast;
I know because that child
was me.

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Elements

By MV

I was fortunate to walk this earth with my feet
To the earth will my elements go
Back to dust for someone else’s being, once I’m deceased

I was replenished by water, the sun’s rays against my face
Once I’m gone, my fluids will concede
Returning to its original stream

I meditated on my breath, synchronized with the wind
At one with the planet, on earth’s axis I slowly spin
Gladly I relinquish, exhale never again to take it in

The fire in my passion lit many trails ablaze
Eventually it too will meet the chill of death
As it returns to the coldness of space

I will be at peace, no regrets, no complaints
On how my life was spent
Thankful for my time, the elements, my temporary tent

As for my soul, whether there’s a heaven
Immediately after death I don’t know

Rumors of rewards, doctrines of Paradise
All I can do is be patient and enjoy this present life

 

Author’s note: I wrote this poem because of my experiments with meditation and Buddhist teachings. I wanted to convey my peace, not just in my living, but also the inevitability of death. What did I do with my elements? Hopefully by the time I come face to face with death, I can say that I used them wisely. Death has a lot to do with perception. Does one truly die if the elements that make up your essence remain? I know what I believe is to come, but logically I can’t know for sure. It’s more of a hope I hold inside. But what I do know, because it’s tangible, is the elements that make up my being, and for them I’m truly grateful.  

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Justice Is Blind

By TG

By TG

Justice is blind
or so I’m told
can’t see a thing
through that blindfold

She cannot see
color of skin
wealthiest king
or poorest kin

The Queen’s English
status by words
the ignorant
by misused verbs

My place of birth
my motherland
whether I am
woman or man

Adds to her choice
which way sword steers
she may be blind
but she can hear

Let’s not forget
her weighing scales
where pocketbooks
always prevail

The innocent
weigh a feather
silver or gold
weigh much better

And to her sword
the choice is clear
unbalanced scale
prejudice ear

Justice is fair
I’ve heard men say
because her sword
can cut both ways

Tooth for a tooth
eye for an eye
live by the sword
and you shall die

But if you’re rich
you need not fear
unbalanced scales
whisper in ear

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We Are All Kin

By QS

You are our sons and daughters
Whether we birth you into this world or not

That’s what the elders would say to the babies
While telling ancient stories around the village cooking pot

Our ancestors, when I close my eyes, I see and talk with them
Praying when I reach the promised land I’m worthy to walk with them

Never forget where you come from
The blood that runs through your veins

Beware, the white man will try to make you believe we are different
When genetically we are all the same

You must know the truth to free yourselves
Don’t be fooled by the pale man’s old divide and conquer game

Go research your history books
Uncover the lies they’ve been telling you
And when you find out the truth for yourself
You’ll realize the jewels I’ve dropped on you are true

Use your mind!
Stand up and be counted Black man
No one will do it for you
Only the man looking back at you in the mirror can

They hear the war cries (fear of the Black Planet)
The white man’s greatest nightmare has come

All the beautiful shades of Blackness once separated by lies
Now united by truth, marching as one

I said it before and I’ll say it again
Once we take the mental blindfold off our third eye
That’s the moment we will realize
We are all kin

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Untitled

By RW

When you feel sad
I wish you happiness

When you’re in doubt
I wish you faith

When you’re discouraged
I wish you hope

When you’re afraid
I wish you strength

When your heart is heavy
I wish you joy

When you’re troubled
I wish you peace

When you’re lonely
I wish you all love

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No More Silence

By Shannon

This is my cry for a stop in senseless violence,
How many lives must be destroyed before someone, anyone
Shout to the mountain top, no more silence, no more silence

How could we overcome, if a promised dream is never realized
Due to a nightmarish reality that must end and if no
One is willing to step up, where does the change begin
To reverse a maddening cycle of gentrification, of generations
Who look just like me and you, who they look up to and emulate

So whose responsibility it is, to be responsible, before
Its just too late and what excuse could justify
Such a decision, when it’s obviously a grave mistake
That will surely impact our community, and reflect a
Negative mindset that we must counter and combat
With an objective view towards positive progress
That begins with self-evaluation and a want for change
A choice to make a difference, that can lead to an act of
Forgiveness and self-liberation, with you as our witness
And our guide in this act of unification, of prisoners against
Gun violence, men who can no longer afford to be quiet
And our debt to society is no more silence, no more silence

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Untitled

By GD

Free me from the beast that holds the minds of many. Free me from that terrifying Roar which lies within me. Though it’s in a cage, it still shows his teeth. Silently waiting to attack those who caused grief. It sweats constantly and beads form around its brow. Yet it never alters only nourishes the thoughts of relieving its hunger like that of a crying child.

Free me from the Beast that turns men into Savages. Free me from a place where every day is tragic. Laws are in place to punish and tame. But evil begets evil, so immorality remains. The walls close in, and the hearts begins to pound. How can one amend, when the soul is broken down.

Free me from the beast that tells these awful tales. Free me from the coffin that’s designed as a cell. Is there such thing as Beauty in the world when all that surrounds the vision is hell? How can one survive with no sense of touch, taste, sight, or smell. If survival is key, life has led me astray. I no longer sleep, I die at the end of each day.

Free me from the Beast that forbids me to mourn. Free me from the screams of those who have long gone. Contemplating with each year that passes by. Suicide is not the first reaction. The inside has already died. No more dreams; no more goals; yes there’s blood in my eyes. Men don’t hold secrets; we secretly past lies.

Free me from the Beast that drains the mind of ambition. Free me from the binary chains of that we call religion. We must have killed God because the prince is winning. When you look at me, can you see my Venom? There are no fangs or peeled off skin but at times I slither. No natural selection, this evolution is richer. Free me from the Beast that I have grown to love. Free me from the home that I no longer think of.

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Silence

By SM

A moment of silence for the frontline workers risking their lives and those we have lost to COVID-19

Silence!
Close your eyes, inhale the essence of fresh air
And picture yourself floating on a cloud that heals your heart –
Cleanses your soul

Silence!
Picture yourself dancing in the rain
Ecstatic of overcoming uncertainty

Silence!
Picture yourself in the wake of a thunderstorm –
Sun breaking, rainbow in the sky

Silence!
Feel yourself at the ocean’s shore
Listening to the screaming waves

Silence!
Feel yourself at the riverbank
Anticipating going for a swim

Silence!
Breathe for the ones we lost –
Let your heartbeat carry their legacies over the hills of the valley
Through strong winds and under the sky of their heavenly home

Silence!
Kisses to the mothers, hugs to the fathers –
Gone but never forgotten

Silence!
Exhale and breathe life back into the world

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Crushed by the System

By TG

We fought the fight for freedom.
Stood strong to support equal rights
Generously given for the next generations
All lost when we let go the light.

Further our fathers have faded
So sons now stand in quicksand
Growing in the gutter of gall
Losing their lives to the land.

Wise women our daughters and wives
Sewn with the spirit of strength
Gilded with goodness and greatness
Lending love in unmeasurable length.

Fore ordain, foreseen, foreshadowed
Soaring songs to the stars that listen
Guardians of the gangling ganders
You will not be crushed by the system.

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My Crack in the Wall

By KC

Every day I awake in an open grave
And leave my slab to walk among the tombs

Massive monuments built to mark bad decisions and love lost
Life and freedom shattered by time being watched over by men with guns

I am not alone, for thousands walk with me
A nation of the undesirables left to rot above ground

Who like crabs hold each other back from reaching peace of mind
They thrive in the misery of their fellow man and thirst for dominance

They think the title King Crab is an honor
Don’t they see? King of the damned is still damned himself

I am different from most here
I walk in the land of the dead focused on life

Time is harsh, but my dreams have never decayed
Stepping stones made from ink on paper keep me on track

Words from loved ones lost, now found, tell me
I am human not an animal, and to never lose myself

Do or die among the dead until you get to the living
And never let the flame of life burn out, it connects us

So, I walk among the tombs every day
Looking for that crack in the wall, that slither of light

Today I’ve found her, and her name is…
Well that doesn’t matter

What matters in the end, today’s a good day
And my crack in the wall has just gotten a little bigger

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My Beloved

By MH

They ask me what’s wrong with your beloved?
She looks sad, heartbroken, and in despair
Where is her smile you often praise?

I answered them my beloved is sick
She’s in pain, she has been for awhile
It pains me to see her this way

But I know she will heal
She will smile again
She will stand on her feet again

For I know my beloved
Hidden beneath all the chaos you see
Hopes, dreams, joy, and prosperity

Author’s note: This poem is about my home, which I miss and think of a lot, as well as my family, friends, and neighbors.  

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Amongst the Broken Men

By CB

I’m living in a world where you’re called
By numbers and not your name
On lockdown, behind a wall in rusty chains
My hands and feet are in shackles, so I can’t move
This the first time in my life
That I don’t know what to do, and
Not even my family knows what I’m going through
Being forced to eat small portions of shitty meals
And if we complain, they say, “We’re lucky
That we are being fed.” They got grown men
Sleeping on bunkbeds. Many men have
Committed suicide for living under these conditions
They then told the C.O.s that they were going
To do it but they ain’t listen
I was taught to stand for something
Or continue to fall for anything
These men must been brought up differently
Cause they don’t stand for nothing, but count time
They bring opprobrium to my race, because
They quick to fight each other but won’t
Even fight for their own freedom
And none of them have thoughts of escape
It’s like they are scared of these gates
They got me surrounded by cowards
Who are content with being oppressed
By racist a** C.O.s, that applied pressure
The institution is the new plantation
It’s slavery at its best, yet we fail to rebel
Because they install slave mind frames in us
That cause us to get side tracked
And look forward to mail, but I refuse
To be like the rest, so I stand alone
Because I’m amongst broken men and
Once something been broken once
It could be broken again
Amongst the broken men

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