Creative Commons License

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

Photo by Lÿv on Unsplash.

Today I read Life’s Poem,
It made me stop and think—

What I’m really feeling,
Who I really am
Where I’m really headed,
If I really can
Rise above these things I see,
When the tides swell from deep inside of me
Making thunder clouds befog my mind,
And how if I cease my searching
All the good I’ll never find.

Life’s Poem has a message,
About truth and harmony
It says the greatest gift that I can give,
Is the love inside of me
That endings are just beginnings — that nothing ever ends

That whenever blessings touch my life, share them with a friend
That healing’s always needed in life, cause something’s always broken
But that healing only starts, when we touch another heart
With a kindness done or bespoken

Life’s Poem that I read today,
It said good things of fate
That nothing’s ever out of place,
And there’s no such thing as late

That when I may lack patience,
I should still seek to learn
While being content with the love I’m sent,
Until I get my turn

For my time is surely coming,
If I love and let hope live
Because life’s a test,
I should do my best
And give all I have to give.

When we come to this life, our cup is not bare,
And in our passing, we’ll not grieve
If we just play fair, and do take care,
That it’s empty when we leave.

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.

A.P. Thurston

A.P. Thurston ia an African-Muslim American writer and poet from Vallejo, California. He has written eight books about prison life as well as about his spiritual life. He is incarcerated in California.