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.
Free Mindz Rap
By RJ
Now I know what it’s like to have a Free Mind/
I was lost, blindfolded, to see crime/
One day I’m on the street, to see shine/
Next day I’m in the pen, to see time/
The judge told me, he gave me a second chance/
This is the longest I have ever been in the slam/
Free Mindz is family, family for what I stand/
(more…)
Please Forgive Me
By DJ
Please forgive me, I promise I will change
Please forgive me, I want to start over again
Please forgive me, I swear Ima make u proud
Please forgive me, I’m sorry and I’ll say it loud
Please forgive me, I know I have done wrong
Please forgive me, I just wanna move on
(more…)
Lost Then Found
By DJ
Lost
I lose myself so often many days my mind go blank
I feel like a person I’m not a lot
My soul is lost and my thoughts are tied in a knot
I’ve been lost since the day I was born and took my first breath
I’ve lost my mind, I’ve wasted time
(more…)
Words of Wisdom
By JG
If I knew then what I know now, the things of the material world wouldn’t have had so much allure over me. I would’ve understood and appreciated the value of education, because I would’ve known that true education is the means by which individuals cultivate themselves mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. (more…)
My Passion
By IS
The passion I have for writing is a feeling of peace and tranquility
The desire to inspire myself ambitiously
A sense of freedom without actually being free
Unlocking my chains with this poetic key
Exceeding beyond this feeling of imprisonment
My mind directs these orchestrated sentences. (more…)
If I Knew Then…
By DJ
If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have been involved in a life of crime. The fast money I made when I was a teen wound up being very, very slow money at the end, because the wages you make in jail are slave wages. (more…)
Words of Inspiration
By IS
Listen to my words of inspiration
For we are living in a world of discrimination
Inside these times of temptation
While on a path to separation
We judge each other according to looks, finances, and beliefs
Looking down upon one another
Forgetting that we are all unique (more…)
Living a Good Life
By DJ
Living a good life
Dat’s what I deserve
I’m breaking my bad life
Cycle to get out of the hood
It’s never too late to
Change
People acting like something they really not
That’s why people don’t think
Before they act
The Computer
By DH
I was given this computer when I was born
And I think it’s crashed
This computer contained
Everything about my past
I turned it off then tuned it on
And still getting a blank screen
There’s no internet on this computer
Just the things I’ve seen (more…)
A Mind of My Own
By MC and DJ
I’m walkin’ down this road lost and alone
But 1 day I know Ima be a king with a throne
Miles and miles later I’ll find my way home
As I walk down this road I realized this road is long
I’m tired of being a puppet, I have a mind of my own
I want to shine bright as a star
I want a big house and a fast car (more…)
My Love
By IS
The reason I laugh
The reason I cry
The reason I live
My will to survive
The reason I lie
The reason I trust
The reason I crave
This feeling of lust
For better or for worst
For sick or for Poor
A sensational feeling
I cannot ignore (more…)