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Photo by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash

In and out of focus
All the shit that goes unnoticed
Accustomed to the gun smoke
When will I smell the roses

Fuck death before dishonor
Cause ain’t no honor in that slogan

Only thing I had in common with romance
Being hopeless
Fell out of tune feeling emotions
To the point I never noticed

Loved to hate but hate to love
Through my actions how I showed it
But will I ever make sense of all this change
Comin and goin

Overloaded by deception
My depression stopped progression
Demons got me second guessin
Missing blessin after blessin

Didn’t know what to believe
And got knee deep into that drug shit
Never thinkin bout tomorrow
Is how I got convicted, thuggin

Let me take you to the edge of the cliff
Where once you jump, that’s all you get
And all the plans that you had
Like ya friends, gon jump ship

It’s the beginning to your end
If all you do is never live
And when it comes to tryna win
Remember to give all that you can

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.

Tevin Austin is a writer incarcerated in California.