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.

The Forgiveness

I forgive my dad for walking out on his only son
I forgive the people who think they get over
Because they assume I’m dumb
I forgive life for dealing me this hand
I forgive my inner boy for not becoming a man
I forgive the man who bumped me
Because he couldn’t see
I forgive…
I can’t forgive everything…
Because I’ve yet to forgive me…

Forgiveness starts with oneself. Once we’ve forgiven ourselves, we can forgive everybody else. Forgiveness isn’t hard, so the next time a situation calls for us to forgive, give it a shot.

~Words from a forgiver~

Life Story

Is life a game
Is life a movie
Is life a story
I don’t know
To me, life is a game
One day you here
And the next you gone
People killing each other over money
Cars, girls, hoods, shoes, looks, fights
Life is hard
Especially if you doing life behind bars

When I Wake Up

I get mad when I wake up
out of my sleep
Because I be in my dream
world
And it really hurts me
When I wake up
Because it seems so real

Why I Cry

I cry cause I’m mad
I cry cause I’m sad
I cry because I’m locked up
This s**t make me want to
throw up
This place I will never see
again
That’s why I will never cry

again

Life Choices

Life is way crazy and I know
You know what I mean
Since Day One
Learning how to walk on your own
Two feet and everything was never what it seemed
S**t happens for no reason
And don’t nobody know why
People always got their heads in the clouds
And know damn well they can’t fly
I was told Don’t ever do or say something and don’t stick to your word
Cause people depend on you and lying could really hurt
But if you’re a person that’s sincere and mean what you say when
things start to go wrong
You don’t walk the other way
You do what you can to make it work
Life may be crazy but you can’t never give up
Even when you run out of road
And you’re riding rocks and dust

Freaky House of Pain (6)

Life is so stressing
And when I was in society I was lost
But now as I’m sitting in my cell
I realize I have a future
It’s something in life that’s going to help me fight

If Only…

If only I was born with a silver spoon
If only life was easy
If only I stayed in school instead of being the class fool
If only we had money and I was a popular kid
Would I have dropped out?
Probably not.
I wouldn’t have to hustle
I probably would never have been shot
Maybe not even stabbed
But a life like that is rare on the South Side
If only I was a different color
Would the judge have showed a lil bit more compassion?
If only I had a chance to be a kid instead of a thug
If only I could go on all day
If only I wasn’t in this cell
And I didn’t have to worry about lights out
If only…

Lockdown

Lockdown is not cool
I don’t want to be on lockdown on 23-1
But it cool
I’m cooling down but lockdown make you think about a lot
And think about your freedom
And on lockdown you can have a free mind
And on lockdown you can be by yourself doin’ a lot of things
Sometimes I get mad ‘cause I can’t see my mother
So that’s why I like lockdown sometime…

Way Out

Sometimes I think that it no way out
Sometimes I think it know way out
But I know that I be home soon you know
Being lock up is not for me
Father God forgive me and look over me
Father God please help me

Roses Are Red

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I love you
And you know I do
Sometimes we fight
But I lay next to you at night
And know everything will be alright
Your love is like a train
That makes my heart choo choo
But me without you
Is like a clock without a cuckoo

Untitled (I was walking to the trashcan…)

I was walking to the trashcan throwing my chips in the trash
When I was stopped and handcuffed in front of my neighborhood store
I had an adult warrant and not I’m here
And everybody seen me getting arrested
I felt dumb as a doornail
The handcuffs were as tight as a screw on a bike
My stomach felt like the drop zone at Kings Dominion
My head pounded like a left hook from Ali

Just Think of Me as A… Change!!

Lil Boy 2 Man in Making

Just think of me as a king
But not God
Just think of me as being an excellent person
And not a perfect human
Just think of me as a warrior
And not just a Fighter
Just think of me as being a young man learning from my mistakes
And not a young dumb*** criminal
Just think of me as a Female Lover
And not just a roller wit B****s
Just think of me as Father
And NOT just some young sperm donor
Just think of me as the BEST OF ME

And not just ME!!