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.
Books Make Me Feel
Books make me feel free
They put me in a different state of mind
To the point where I can fall asleep
And dream
That I am the character of the book
Owe You the World
When I touch down
You owe me nothing
Ima give you the world and I ain’t bluffin
I had no business leaving you all alone
But ima make it up to you when I come home
Just know me and you we are the future.
Untitled
Most boys aren’t like me
I see what the blind see
Do you know what the blind sees?
I hear what the deaf hear
But do the deaf hear?
I feel what the emotionless feel
But I have no feelings for anything
So what am I doing on the edge of the bridge
About to jump
As I tried to get back down
I…
What I Want
I want to learn how to stay out of trouble.
I want to learn how to go to school without leaving.
I want to learn how to stop reaching for a gun when an unknown car passes.
I want to learn how to love my haters.
I want to know.
Why
I look at the sky wondering would I live or would I die?
Thinking about how
I use to make my mother cry.
My mother always told me
“you’re my son I’m gone ride or die no matter what”.
And I use to wonder why,
that’s because she loves me with all her heart
and I love her the same way.
To My Daughter
I walk through the day, hidden in my disguise.
With fear in my heart and pain in my eyes.
Fear of a man?
Hell no,
Fear of a woman.
Well I would say so,
Not fear of bodily harm.
Like broken legs or broken arms.
I fear the way she looks at me today.
What she thinks of me because I am away.
I am sorry I betrayed her trust
When I speak to myself, I scream and cuss.
I can only apologize for all my mistakes.
But I promise to make it up to her!
Whatever it takes.
I have lost so much in search of gain.
When this journey’s over I will never leave home again.
All my life I dedicate to you.
Always know, without a doubt,
That I Love You.
Something For The Mind
For so long I have walked a path
that has provided me with nothing of virtue.
I thought I was getting away with something
when I took riches it offered.
As I was taking advantage of it,
it was stealing my spirit.
Now I am empty inside.
I want a new path
that will lead me to a better more fulfilling life.
I Want to Come Home
I can’t wait to come home because jail is not a place for no one
But when you do dumb s*** this is where you come
I said I want to come home it‘s not a good feeling
In here people tell you when to go in your room and when to eat
I said I want to come home when I get my visit talking to on the phone to my mother that’s not a good feeling when you in jail
I said I want to come home
because I can’t see my mother
I said I want to come home
so I can get a job and do what I got to do
Decisions
Some are easy
Some are hard
Some have to be made
And some you can slack on
But what are the chances?
Decisions split your mind in two
Stressing on what’s right to do
At a crossroad it’s now or never
Here and now
What’s up, with the what’s up babyyyy!
No more games or time
What decision has come to your mind?
Decisions split in two
On what, when, where, why, and who
Confused By Yours All Yours
Are you with me or not?
Do you love me or not?
I mean yeah I’m hurting inside
but you’re all I got most of the time
it feels like I gotta have my own back,
but I know you love me
and I know you care
and if you really wanna be with me
then you’ll find a way for us to make it there.
Are you bout this or not?
Aren’t we a sure thing or not?
I ain’t gonna press or sweat you,
or this relationship any more
cause deep down I know what it is
(me and you together forever years)
but lets just at least try to work it out
for the betta & the best
cause as long as you’re with me,
who cares about the rest.…
Thinking About The Future
I wonder what the world would be like in 10 years
Would it be the same that I do not know
I wonder where I would be in 10 years
Imagining what the future holds is lots of thinking for sure
I heard some people say they are making their our own future
Confused in my mind I don’t know if that is possible
I know I made a mistake but I didn’t chose to be here
To me life is unpredictable also it’s full of surprise
I feel okay about the unpredictable part
But full of surprises is scary sometimes
Cause sometimes things surprise the hell out of you
Like incarceration did to me but I’m not falling down
One day I will surprise life itself by getting out of here
Cause this is not what I want for my future
I just want to be with my family and have a normal life