by TruthNPoetry, San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, CA It’s the craziest thingOr should I say, “thang,”Peer pressure, to love myself lesserBy joining a gang,I object on conscious groundsSo I continue to abstain,It bothers me deeplySo many children are slain,So I ain’t down to rideI don’t want to hangI’m only 12 and continuouslyHave to explain, “nah, I don’t bang,”I reject the appealOf living in fearLike TupacI shed so many tearsIntellectually I fail to graspThis fatal seduction,Of willful participationIn self-destruction,Blindly pledging allegianceTo tribal violence andGlamorizing the use of drugs,Abandon my moral compassAdopt the values of a thug,Use gang signs to
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Volume 27.33/34
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 27.33/34
It’s our anniversary month! Later this month we will embrace our 26th year of service and counting! Hard to believe we launched The Beat Within so long ago… What a beautiful journey, full of incredible friends, colleagues, partners and allies that have embraced The Beat yesterday, today and we are sure more so moving forward! We welcome you loyal readers back to another double issue, 27.35/36, of the one and only The Beat Within. And as our friend OT says, “the only magazine keeping it one thousand with you readers and writers and is the only publication putting out a
Continue ReadingTough Loss
by Dre, San Francisco I’ve been tripping out lately since my people passed on. That’s my mom, my auntie, my granny. I’ve been yelling and getting easily irritated and shhh. I’d be on my bed and shhh. I’m releasing my grief through my anger. I’ll be working out and shooting hoops. That makes me feel better. I get the anger off my mind. Talking on the phone to friends and it gets the pain off my mind. This anger might always be with me, but I’m going to keep it under control. I’m going to keep it under control with
Continue ReadingFive Years Ago
by Kugen, San Mateo Five years ago I did not think I would be writing something about five years ago in jail. I wasn’t exactly a good kid in school but I didn’t ever imagine myself in jail wanting to go home. Looking back, going home was a very normal thing, but right now I don’t even have a choice to. I will at some point but today I will be sleeping here at jail, not at home in my bed. I am used to it already but exactly five years ago I probably would be watching TV or something
Continue ReadingWe Are a Community Right?
by Mr. Francisco “Frank” Gonzalez, RJ Donovan State Prison in San Diego, CA It has been quite a while since I’ve written to the great pages of The Beat Within with a powerful positive message that wow’s you every time. It’s 2022, and the unprecedented pandemic is hard to ignore these days. I’ve traveled this great state from within its prisons from Pelican Bay to the sunny side of RJ Donovan where I now find myself on a level 3 for the first time in my life (incarcerated life of 30 years). To begin with, I do not and did
Continue ReadingMy Gift
by Truth N Poetry, San Quentin, CA “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”-Pablo Picasso My gift is using words, poetic expressions which uplifts, heals and informs and if need be create a fire. Most of us have been cautioned since our youth that “words have power,” and if you are not going to say anything nice be quiet. I choose to use my gift of words to heal and help, rather than hurt others. See owning our power is in every decision. Yes, we all have the power
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Volume 27.31/32
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 27.31/32
It’s the last days of August, and we warmly welcome you devoted readers back to another double edition, 27.31/32, of The Beat Within. What a beautiful and most inspiring magazine we have to share with our important and most powerful community of friends, writers, readers, associates, partners and colleagues, to name a few. We hope you enjoy reading this one-of-a-kind magazine to see what your favorite writers have to say. Starting with OT, as he has plenty to share this week in this editorial. This is OT reporting live from the hot tropical, muggy and the lightning striking skies
Continue ReadingHow I will Prepare for my Future…
by Ivan, Santa Cruz A way that I’m going to prepare myself for the future is that, one, when I get out of the hall I’m gonna be looking for a job for myself. I look forward to bettering myself and do good things. I want to do good for things that do not affect me. Another thing to prepare for my future is that I’m learning things here at the hall. I’m also preparing myself for the future to try to enroll myself to take some college classes or to work for construction, so when I get out I’ll
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