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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Sitting in this box
I don’t know how to feel
Surrounded by this madness
I don’t know how to deal
Partway between “I did everything”
They said I did
Partway between I did everything
Damn, I was just a kid
Partway between “You’re such a fuckin’
waste of potential”
Partway between “I’m still an asset,
This shit is only mental”
Trying not to think about
My mother’s progressing age
Trying not to let their petty slights
Fill me with rage
Trying not to let my children know
I love them, no matter what
Trying, trying, trying, trying
Fuck!
Sitting in this box
I don’t know how to feel
I guess I should feel strong
‘Cause I’m still sitting here.

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.

Davon Blackstone is a poet and writer incarcerated in California.