By CR
People think that accomplishing something
Is nothing to them
But to me
Accomplishing or achieving something
Means a lot to me
Cuz I was the dumb one
Of all the kids my mom had
But when I accomplish something
I feel proud
By CR
People think that accomplishing something
Is nothing to them
But to me
Accomplishing or achieving something
Means a lot to me
Cuz I was the dumb one
Of all the kids my mom had
But when I accomplish something
I feel proud
By V.M.
Day and night is to be
Successful and to succeed
I came up and came down
When it was all said and done
I was rumbling pound to pound
In my darkest nightmare
Something I ask for
An really got what I wanted
But it was not being successful
It was being the person inside
Of me what I was not trying
Fight on them streets because
I was scared of what the
World would say that was around me
It was tearing me apart
From my family and tryna be successful.
Now it’s a fed travel plan that goes from prison to prison
South Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado, California
An where does it stop
It never stops, we all have plenty of opportunity
To get back up and be successful and succeed.
January 27, 2021, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Read and respond to poetry by incarcerated writers! Registration is required; click here to RSVP.
Free Minds uses books, creative writing, and peer support to awaken incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youths and adults to their own potential. Through creative expression, job readiness training, and violence prevention outreach, these poets achieve their education and career goals, and become powerful voices for change in the community.
Winner of the 2015 Aspen Ideas Award from the Aspen Institute, the Justice Potter Stewart Award from the Council for Court Excellence, and the Library of Congress Best Practices in Literacy Award.
United Way of the National Capital Area (UWNCA) #9633
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) # 75998
1816 12th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009