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.
My Reality
By AH
I am a shallow shell
The crab that was once inside of me has died
Murdered in cold blood
Simply misled
I didn’t fully understand the repercussions to my decisions
My mind was too wrapped around things that were senseless
Now as a young man I know what it feels like
To be told the beginning
Is really the end of my life
To be confined to a coffin
Body filled with invisible scars
The youth needs to learn that this is the type of sh*t that
Happens when u are unaware of who u are
Cuz, the streets never gave me sh*t but a gift of disillusion
Which left me with a cold heart, no freedom, and mental bruises
Maybe it’s safe to say
That the man I am today
Is still being haunted
By the man I was yesterday
And I am afraid
Because my darkest dreams may become my reality
God please remove these demons from around me
I don’t want to die
Young, confused, and mad
I don’t want to be counted amongst the broken men
My sisters
This is my reality
So vivid, hurtful And rife
It’s like someone’s hands are over my eyes
Because I’m struggling to see the light
Young brothers, this is my reality
Controlled movement, toilets, and doors
My Reality is real,
I don’t know about yours
Today
By BG
I thank God
Today’s a new day
Kick it off with a few lines
As I pray
Another day, you let me see the daylight
10 went past
We was out like yesterday
Got my night light on in my cell
As I write away
The Mask
By HF
The mask, positive to conceal the pain
The mask, negative to succumb to shame
What mask to wear, when, where, and how
Fortune 500 Board of Directors seat, is it best to wear it now?
Should we only wear the mask, when it’s life or death?
Post racism, post Obama, is it safe to show our faces yet?
I wear the mask because I’m a Menace to Society
Do I shed the mask, for Black Lives to Matter to me?
If I reveal my true countenance, who will I see?
Should I illuminate as a dark prince, will this white world reject me (Jeremiah Hamilton)
My frowns nuanced smiles, I’ll continue to conceal the fact
That I wear the Mask, because it’s too dangerous to be too Black
Life
By DJ
What is Life?
Life is like a thousand memories
Countless thoughts and endless dreams
Early morning, ocean breeze, river flow and shallow streams
What is Life?
There’s 1 God, people worship many
Life is full of hate, crime, jealousy, and envy
Sometimes life is joyful, sometimes life is stressing
Sometimes life is a curse, sometimes life is a blessing
What is Life?
Life is a journey to fulfill a purpose
Life is an open show that has closed curtains
Life may be short for some and long for others
But life is not for Brothers killing brothers
What is Life?
We Live, we Die, we smile, we cry
We mope, we whine, we waste valuable time
LIFE!!!!
Crayons
By JG
I am the color of electricity
Seldom seen, but innately powerful
I am the color of stagnated dreams
Suspended in time, unfulfilled
I am the color of true transformation
The color of self determination
Whatever color self pity is
I’m the opposite
I am the color of jewels
Like that diamond in the rough
I am the color of grace
Moving calmly and unafraid
I am the color of strength
Standing firmly on my square
The color of respect, courage, honor
When affronted by lesser individuals
I am the color of hope
The color of Martin Luther King’s dream
The color of Malcolm X’s resolve
The color of Noble Drew Ali’s fight
I am all colors
I am as colorless as the air we breath
I am the color of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
I am the color Peace
Change For Me
By TH
Change for me is…
A verb
So much more
Than just a word
(more…)
It’s Your Life
By AM
It’s your life, live it to the fullest
It’s your life, make your plans for it wisely
It’s your life, think seriously about your future
(more…)
Change is All I Know
By TH
At first I had some fears
I’ll admit the concept seemed strange
Unsure of myself after all these years
I just knew somehow I had to change
To You From Me (Your Dad)
By BG
As I proceed to succeed
Relieved from all this grief
What’s needed is for freedom to ring
Continue as you are
My shining star
(more…)