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To U who wears a smile and to U who wears a frown
To U whose home is a warm bed and to U whose home is the cold ground
To U who sees yourself as fat and to U who see yourself as too thin
To U who judges myself and others by the color of our skin
… Oh U matter…
To U who lives it up wealthy and rich and to U who lives it down dirt poor
To U who takes a stand for peaceful and to U who takes the side of war
To U with mental illness and to U whose mind is well
To U whose god is stillness and to U whose heaven is hell
… Oh U matter…
To U who wants to die and to U who’s dying to live
To U who shares too much and to U who cannot give
To U whose world is gay and to U who keeps it straight
To U who lives to love and to U who loves to hate
… Oh U matter…
U really make a difference to me in Ur own way
U really do contribute something good everyday
Don’t ever underestimate the difference U make in Ur own way
… Oh U matter…

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.

Shanay Strawder is a writer incarcerated in California.