by Faith, San Mateo To forgive can be very different to a lot of people. Someone can forgive but still feel angry or bad about the situation, and someone can forgive and let go of the situation. For different people forgiving can be difficult, and sometimes, they will debate on forgiving, but for other people it seems like it comes naturally, and they don’t mind forgiving. To me forgiving is to kind of stop holding a grudge or to let go in some situations, and in some way. I don’t forgive people often cause sometimes I be stubborn. There is
Continue ReadingAuthor: mpau@thebeatwithin.org
Smile
by Josue I like to think that the reason I am in nursing school is so that I will be able to change individuals lives on a daily basis. I was not always in this position that I am in now, a grade A nursing student from San Francisco. I was the product of the old colorful Mission District. The loud kickbacks, drinking, and trouble finding streets. I think about this fact as I prepare for my Fundamentals in Nursing class. This is the semester where I find myself getting prepared for my clinical rotations. No one knows my past,
Continue ReadingFree At Last
by Armando Gonzalez, San Quentin State Prison, CA Today is bright and sunny, with a crisp chill in the air. It’s about ten in the morning, and I’ve been doing push-ups, pull-ups, and dips for about forty-five minutes. One of the fellas who’s recently been let out of the SHU (Security Housing Unit) comes by and asks, “Hey bro, you got a minute?” “Yeah, what’s up?” He says, “let’s spin some laps.” As we start to walk around the track, he asks, “Hey, about a year ago, did you put in a request to go Christian?” I say, “Yes.” He
Continue ReadingLife Without Parole
by LWOP “P”, High Desert State Prison in Susanville, CA Well allow me to extend my profound love and gratitude your way. With that being said straight to the matter at hand! It’s January 23rd, 2021 early in the morning and I just got done bird-bathing. For those that don’t know what it means, it means as it sounds; bathing in the cell, washing up. Filling up the sink with water, and you sit down facing the sink and with a cup you start to you bathe yourself. Furthermore! I’m not here to talk about a bird bath. However I’m
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Volume 26.03/04
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 26.03/04
Greetings, friends! Welcome back to another powerful issue of writing and art from the inside and beyond. This latest 72 pager is like no other, and we are incredibly honored to showcase the immense talent featured in this latest double issue, 26.03/04, of writing and art. We love what this one of kind publication provides for us readers and contributors – inside and out. Let’s keep the great work going! Let’s touch lives! Let’s teach by sharing our truths, our stories, our art! We are here for each other to learn and be inspired by. Thank you writers, supporters, friends
Continue ReadingI Matter No Matter What
by AS, Sacramento I matter in this life. I was put on this earth to be somebody. Even though I’m in jail, I still matter. My loved ones need me. I will contribute to help out the world. I was meant to be a positive person. Somebody you can look up to when you need help. There are times in jail when you feel like you don’t matter. You do! Everybody matters. Everybody has a purpose in this life, they just have to find it. I bring positive energy when I get around people. If anybody ever needs somebody to
Continue ReadingMy Everything
by DB, Albuquerque, New Mexico The most memorable day I have ever had is when I met my baby momma. We were twelve years old at the movie theaters. She was my love at first sight. I think she felt the same way. We started texting and became a couple. By the age of thirteen she was pregnant. We had a miscarriage at six months along. That really hurt me. I did not know what to do or believe. We took a break. I was having a hard time taking the loss so I filled my life with drugs and
Continue ReadingI Matter
by Adonte, San Mateo One thing about me, I like being honest. I like to show my love to the ones I care about and I’m a very hardworking person. I take care of my family and take care of a lot of things. With my confidence, I am meant to be a strong person. I feel I’m meant to be a breadwinner. I feel like I matter even more because I’m still alive. It’s a lot of young Black people who died at this age of 18. The places I have been: Oakland, Stockton, Lodi, San Mateo, Vallejo, Fairfield,
Continue ReadingSole Survivor
by Matthew Feeney, Moose Lake, Minnesota The man was jolted out of his fitful slumber by an unfamiliar noise. He lay silently in his bed, letting awareness slowly soared back into his head. He listened again for the sound. The constant hum and whirl from the ventilation grills was all he heard. It was all he heard in the last 68 days (give or take a day or two). Not that he was complaining. As long as he heard that familiar hum from the vent, he knew he still had a fighting chance of survival. Whatever the sound was real
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