Category: Piece of the Week

by Spookes I got character from my father yesterday.  He told me a lot of true things, that I have done wrong in the past and to be honest I got sad, because he called me out on what I did wrong.   When my father wrote to me from prison, I felt joyful, because I needed some advice from a father figure.  After I read the letter I cried because he told me that I was making him hurt with my life decisions.   He told me I was lucky to have a support system that wants to help.  My father

I’d ask why they couldn’t save me
And why they’ve been taking my family on the daily
Why they take my best friends, Hailey and Bailey
And lately I’ve just been feeling like I’ve been going crazy
But maybe
This is just the way it’s supposed to be
But I no longer fear it
‘Cause I feel the Lord is close to me
He restored my hope
That I’d one day be free
Yeah He helped me cope
With all these lonely nights of incarceration
Missing my family man
My heart is achin’
The only way that I can express myself
is through this art I’m makin’

by Angel A do over would be a really good thing to have because I wish I could take back what I did that got me in here. I hate the fact that I’m locked up because I’ve lost so much time with the ones I care about most. I would only take the do over if I could still be who I am because I hated who I was turning into. My mom didn’t even know who I was. I kept distancing myself from my family. Those are the reasons why I would only take the do over.  I realized

by Angel “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” I agree. New beginnings are painful. When you try something new, you always end up failing and maybe never trying it again. You go day by day never really noticing what unique factors that you never knew you would have. It’s really insignificant, but it’s reality.  Since I’ve been locked up, I’ve been changing. It wasn’t easy, but I’m still in the process. I’ve had a struggle like everyone else has their own. I’ve wasted seventeen years going on to eighteen years of my life to finally realize I’m broken.

by Angel I think about what type of possibilities I could turn out to be in the future. I always think forward in what I want myself to be. I picture myself being an NBA basketball player and building a company to help kids who think this life is the only way. I believe in that dream that I fantasize. I know it’s a small chance that it will come true, but I’ve put my own dreams and my heart on a shelf. It has been up on that shelf for a very long period. I started to realize, you

by Aimee I live in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. There are a lot of homeless people in my neighborhood which makes my neighborhood different from other neighborhoods. My neighborhood is very diverse with Mexicans, Blacks and Filipinos.  I miss all my “uncles” (family friends) that hang around my block barbequing. If I grew up in a different neighborhood I wouldn’t be who I am today, which is a strong girl with a strong personality.  In my neighborhood I connect mostly with Turk and Jones which is the intersection of where I live. My neighbors are cool, and I know

by King J God if you’re good, why did you put him in a grave? God if you could would his life have been saved? See, I’m mad at God but really I’m mad at myself. I never got to say goodbye or thank you for the help. See you picked me off the streets, told me how you really felt. As a young boy, you took me under your wing, And showed me how the game’s cards are going to be dealt. I hope you’re listening because I appreciate every little thing that you did for me. You’re the

by Hayden It’s evening now, and other people are having visits with their families. To be honest, I’m really jealous. My family never comes to see me. They live so far away, in Seattle where I grew up. They felt compelled to get rid of me. It’s a pain I have been holding within for my entire life. They preach justice and practice lies and abandonment. I think it’s messed up for the staff to hold visiting hours inside the unit where I have to watch. There is a separate visiting room, so why don’t they use it? The answer is

by Kyle You stand in front of me, Pretending to be solid, But you are nothing More than smoke and mirrors You said you would never leave That you would care for us forever But now you claim you cannot stay That you’ve been called away When you go, who will I turn to? When it all crashes down? Tell me who Then tell me how I can’t believe in anyone again If all your promises have been lies.

by Rayband Seventy-six days left! I’ve been here for fourteen months and twelve days. I’ve been counting down and planning a lot of stuff. I’m already knowing that nothing is the same out there. It’s the changes I’m going to have to get used to. I’m not worried about that because I’m ready to take the world head on. Being in here this long has made me ready to do anything. I’m not frail or afraid of anything. Being inside a cell for four hundred sixty-nine days straight will prepare you for lots of stuff.  I’m the oldest person in