Poems

We wanted to share this card with you all, because it is your support that makes Free Minds a reality. The text reads:
“We really appreciate what you guys have done for us.
It really means a lot.
Thank you for keeping us strong, focused, and our mind independent.
Remember that you will always be in our free mind for Forever!! 🙂 ”

The two artists were careful to explain their illustration as well. “It’s like a metaphor, but with drawings,” they said. Here they have depicted a brain with a superhero cape (a Free Mind) beaming through a book to attain the ultimate goal of knowledge (portrayed here gleaming on a pedestal). Below, it has a flashlight and the words “U show us light!”

Dear Friends of Free Minds,

We were uploading poems this week and realized that this is our 100th post! In honor of this landmark, we wanted to take a second to give a shout out to all our poets and writers, readers and commentators, supporters and friends- everyone who has helped make this project happen.

The poetry blog grew out of a desire to build bridges across communities that are often kept separate. For many of the writers whose poetry appears here, it is the first time that they have been told that their voices matter. For many of the commentators who offer their positive feedback, it may be the first time they have seen young people in jail as writers with talent and unique perspectives. While both sides are anonymous to each other, we have been amazed at the power our small blog has to connect, educate, and inspire.

This Tuesday, we handed J, a 17 year old in DC jail, a piece of paper with feedback on his poem written by a volunteer in Massachusetts. He was delighted. “It makes me feel good to know that people like my work enough to write back,” he said. We talked for a while about how incredible it is that there is an international group of people committed to hearing and supporting the positive voices of the Free Minds young poets, and then asked if he had anything he wanted to share on this 100th post. He considered carefully, and then said:

“Thank you for letting me know that somebody is acknowledging my words, and taking the time to read the writing of young incarcerated people.”

When we deliver that piece of paper with your thoughtful feedback, comments, and encouragement, it is concrete evidence of a community support, of a network of people that believe in these young people’s ability to change, envision greater possibility, and write new chapters in their lives. It is hard to overstate the impact that this has.

So keep those comments coming!

With gratitude,
The Free Minds team

You told me,
“I’ll hold you down, I got your back, I’ll be here until the end”
“No matter what, thru thick and thin, I’ll always be your friend”
“When times get rough and things go bad, you can always count on me”
“Just trust my word, have some faith, and my promises I will keep”

But you let me down, you left be hanging, I thought you were my friend.
Thru thick and thin, no matter what, I thought you’d be here until the end…
When things went bad, and times got rough, I really counted on you,
I trusted your word, had faith and your promises never came true…

Then you told me,
“If ever you’re lost, just call and I’ll guide you thru the maze”
“My love and support will always be here, every single day”
“And when there’s danger have no fear, I’ll never leave you stranded”
“Whenever you need me, I’ll be right here, you’ll never feel abandoned”

But I called when I got lost and you didn’t even answer,
Your deceiving and deceitful ways are killing slow like cancer…
You left me stranded, I feel abandoned, every single day,
What did I do to deserve those lies? Why was I betrayed…

I rise to the sky
I rise to education
I rise to my dream
I rise to become a man
I rise to respect
I rise to my highest level
I rise, I rise, I will
Someday rise, Yes I rise

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~

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

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

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 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

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 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 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…