by Rahsaan Thomas “Ain’t nothing to talk about,” was the motto I grew up believing in. I didn’t think there was anything to talk about when someone had wronged me. Talking to someone who offended you was viewed as a sign of weakness. Discussing peace at that point meant they would get the last laugh. So I thought like the rapper Papoose said, “Peace makers sound funny like Heathcliff with that dead the beef (crap), why would I dead the beef when I can dead the (negro) I have the beef with.” At the same time, I never wanted to hurt
Continue ReadingWhat I’ve Lost
by Aine I’ve lost too much on the streets that I cannot even comprehend. Many of my friends have gone on a different path in life and I wish I went with them. I’ve lost over half of my friends and gained new ones that have only dragged me down since. This is the first and last time I’ll be locked up. Dedicating this much time to the system is not the way of life. You’re locked up in this facility when you can honestly be anywhere else in the world. That thought haunts me every second of every day in
Continue ReadingBalance
by Mr. Daniels Finding balance in all that we do, will keep you from much of this unnecessary stress, heartache and frustration that is out there in the world. As we travel on our journey to acquire the finest things very rarely do we properly prepare a plan for the end game. We rush into plan “A” without even taking notice of plans B – Z (B through Z). We let our image, ego and the fantasy in our heads constantly run us head first, into the brickwall of life called reality. Why is it that our most happiest of times
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Volume 20.13/14
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this latest issue.
Continue ReadingWhat I see
by Adrian What I see when I look in the mirror is a young handsome Hispanic male who has been troubled by drugs, violence and hell. I see, who I used to be, who I am now, and who I will be in the years to come. I want to get my life together, get a job, get females and have fun. I have been through a lot and I already know how it feels to lose. I can only imagine how it feels to win, kick back and listen to the blues. I see a scholar who has his whole
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VOLUME 20.11/12
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this latest issue.
Continue ReadingDetention
by Izais Detention… A place where “staff” run your life, a place where “freedom” is only a word you read in books or hear from kids who talk about it like they won’t ever know what it feels like to feel “free” again. Detention is a place where the word equality does not exist. Detention is a place that steals your youth; it robs you of the precious and unique experiences of young-adulthood. It grips its cold, dark fingers around your self-pride, self-confidence, self-reassurance, and self-everything. It slithers in your conscious and slowly poisons the very few thoughts that keep
Continue ReadingMy Failures
by Miguel Quezada As a kid, I failed in many little things. Basketball, because I had no coordination. Or when I tried to ride my bicycle over a motorcycle ramp and fell and broke my wrist. Or when in the seventh grade I asked Destiny to be my girlfriend, but she said, “Nooooo!” When I was young, I didn’t believe I was my failures. All they amounted to were failures. They didn’t get in my way. I kept falling, but picking myself up and trying and trying and trying. As I grew up, I seemed to fail a lot more. It
Continue ReadingThe Painful Journey
by Felisha My nickname is Felisha. My life wasn’t always crappy. The first three years of my life were the best from what I remember. I remember my mom with long beautiful hair, with pink cheeks and luscious lips. Little by little she faded away, the meth and heroin took her from me. I remember living in the projects/warzone/studio. Our studio wasn’t the best, but it was more than enough to me. I’d give anything to be back there before the drugs when it was me, my mom, her girl, my little brother Aliace. Around three maybe four years old, a
Continue ReadingThe Elusive Keys To Rehabilitation
by Dortell Williams “If you want anything done, you’ve got to do it yourself,” goes the refrain. That includes that ever elusive thing they call rehabilitation: self-help and personal development The truth is that within the confines of our misnomer, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, rehabilitation can be a difficult thing to tackle. Lack of class space, lack of vocations and lack of structure for personal growth. I recall asking a mental health specialist a few years back what “rehabilitation” is: What am I chasing here? Were my exact words. His response? He laughed, heartily. He told me: “There
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