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Life has always been hard on me,
    but it taught me
    countless great lessons here…
Especially my loyalty
toward my beautiful wife,
    she faithfully stood by my side
    even though I’m serving life…
Therefore I must hold strong to my beliefs
within these four walls
    if a man betrays the woman who loves him
    then one day he will betray all…
Life has always been hard on me,
    I’ve never met my biological father
   because of disagreements with my mother
    he abandoned my brother and me…
That’s why I was beaten, starved and tortured,
    I had no food, no protection
    and a broken future…
Life has always been hard on me,
    I didn’t understand why
    all these peoples were hurting me
But one thing for certain
it will never break me,
    because
    hardship brought out the best in me…
Those that hate me
tried to break me,
    but instead
    It has made me…

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.

Tri Sang Ly is a Vietnamese poet who is incarcerated in California.