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Struggles over time does character build.
Scars on wounds eventually heal.
Gluttony, the wealthy man’s affliction.
Heroin and meth, the downtrodden’s addiction.
Social inequity, gender gap and the digital divide
Are destroying society, there is nowhere to hide.
When the state police get away with mass murder
Then has the audacity to tell a mother how to nurture.
Where the working poor can’t pay for housing or nutrition
And making “ends” meet takes a magician.
Hope is fleeting, for those who have any.
Despair is everywhere, amongst the many.
The “GREAT DREAM” has come and gone!
These are the struggles of our time. What went wrong?

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Richard Gamache is a writer incarcerated in California.