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Illustration by Stephen Taylor

If I had wings
I’d fly you all
Beyond these walls
Is life indeed
That span of time
Would give me rest
For prison time
Is quite a test

I use to see
A garden grow
A green-thumbs past
That overflowed
The taste and smell
Of what could be
Are long days gone
Inside of me

The touch of home
Brings eyes alow
My fall from grace
Was quite a blow
I can’t look back
And wish that day
Had never come
And so I play

The loss of friends
Has changed my life
I must look up
Through His sacrifice
My heart is torn
But life goes on
I must share hope
Before each dawn

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.

Stephen Taylor is a writer and poet incarcerated in California.