Creative Commons License

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash

My crime defines me
And don’t try convince me that
There’s something good in everybody
Because when you take a closer look
This world is filled with evil people
Even if
You meet some good people once in a while
Because
Happiness can be chosen
Only if you have a release date
It’s not true that happiness is a possible choice
I’m sure you can agree
Statistics
Is stronger than
Hope
And
Being hopeless
Beats
Being hopeful
It’s all a choice
I regret my incarceration
And you’ll never in a million years hear me say that
I’m thankful for my incarceration.

*Now read in reverse 

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.

Jessie Milo is a writer, artist and poet incarcerated in California. He is a volunteer for InitiateJustice.org and an advocate for mental health.