Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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.

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Shanay Strawder

Shanay Strawder is a writer incarcerated in California.