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Photo by Taelynn Christopher on Unsplash

I try to paint a picture
of the future in my head. 
The only colors given
are a thousand shades of red. 
On the canvas of the mind,
a portrait of hate,
resembling me
and my ill fate.
A Picasso of pain,
the DaVinci of death, 
that sweet release 
of life and stress.
I paint a picture
of the future in my head.
Canvas of the mind
is where I lay dead.

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.

Ian Shaw is a writer of horror poetry and short stories. Shaw is currently working on self-publishing a collection of his writings. He is incarcerated in California. Ian Shaw is his pen name.