Category: The Beat Without

-Donald, San Quentin State Prison, CA As I was growing up, I was someone who, for the most part, went with the flow because it was easier. I knew what to expect and it was less painful, and less disappointing.  When I did make plans and they fell through for whatever reason, I would take it personal and see it as a reflection of how others saw me. I was a failure. That ultimately became my truth about myself which caused me to miss out on so many opportunities to prove others and myself wrong. It was easier to just

-André, California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville, CA “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” Chinua Achebe  I love this metaphor! It strikes a chord on so many levels. Thinking about the current climate we’re in and this banning of books era we’re experiencing, there is an effort by our government to silence certain voices. The idea is to paint a “prettier” picture of the country and sweep the pain, loss, and struggle of some under the rug.  Another quote fits perfectly with this: “history is written by the victor.” It is our duty

-John, San Quentin State Prison, CA I came to this country when I was sixteen with an unrealistic self-concept of what being successful looks like. Unfortunately, I did not have the grades nor the language to achieve those unattainable goals. Without a clean path to succeed, I just adapted and pretended to be more than I was. It was a costly practice. As a young adult, I worked for lawyers, politicians, and other extremely rich, powerful and successful people, by societal standards. I learned to talk like them, dress like them and think like them because I thought I wanted

-Aorrell, Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, CA Being in prison and losing my younger brother to gun violence has been by far the hardest and most challenging thing I have ever had to experience. Usually, I know all the right words to say, but through my constant flow of tears, insurmountable pain, combined with the harsh reality of being trapped inside of a world of pain. It’s hard to find the right word to say.  Where do I even begin? Never once did I ever imagine a life without him. It seems like yesterday when we were kids. I

-Hu, California Health Care Facility in Stockton, CA It has been said that two wrongs will not make it right. As long as a victim has been left with the ugly poison of resentment caused by a tragic act of evil, they may struggle to change their attitude of anger. They may carry this burden into their relationships with others, limiting their humanness. They may become so bitter that they act out in aggression or with the intentions of inflicting injury upon others vindictively.  Evil cannot effectively be changed by evil. Evil must be weakened by the power of love.

-C, California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville, CA Why am I here?Because I was not well directed in lifeOr disciplined or loved when I was young.I was growing, veered off to the right or leftRather than going straight,Didn’t hear the right guidance.I know I shouldn’t blame myself.

-Tasha, California Institution for Women in Chino, CA It isn’t the darkness that I’m afraid of, it’s the light. Light illuminates parts of ourselves that we bury because we find them unacceptable. That self lives inside because we are afraid to confront who we might really be; like how we become overachievers trying to cover up low self-esteem, so a false self becomes like an SPF to shield our ego from the sometimes blinding light of truth.   This is where under the cloak of darkness, jealousy, pride, boastfulness, rudeness, hate, and apathy hide. It’s cool to inflict injury upon others

-Maria, Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, CA Kindness comes in many forms. There are times that the greatest acts of kindness come from the smallest forms. It’s the intention that matters. Being a mentor here I do what I can do to be available for others, to the point when there are times, I feel depleted. I go through challenges myself and I choose to wear a brave face. The greatest act of kindness comes when that one person comes along and actually stops long enough to really see past my smile.  They take a second to ask,

-K Beats, Santa Cruz County, CA Home…a place made up of thousands of laughters and tragic thingsA place and or someone that attracts your heart to the inevitableHome is where the love is but to me, it’s where I got broken the mostHeartaches and snakesSurrounded by fakesWhat’s it gonna take to finally rest?Heads felt cement, blacked outAlmost blew my back outThese are my words of a jitTrust me I know what it’s like to get hitFeelin’ sick to my head all the way down to my bonesJust wanna be aloneHard to put my pain into wordsEven though my heart’s broken

-Truth N poetry, San Quentin, CA My peace is not up for grabsIt is my compass within the stormCalm in the midst of a riotHarmony the color of fresh cornTo not battle chaos,Complicated or unclear or simpleTo sit within one’s soulRemembering the body is a temple.