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A small bronze statuette of The Thinker by French sculptor Auguste Rodin
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

It doesn’t make you weak
That before you act you think
That rather than break bonds
You would form links
That rather than fight a battle
You would beg for peace
That rather than crush dissent
You praise the unique
It doesn’t make you weak
To want to be like Dr. King
To abstain from conflict
To wish for Gandhi’s dream
Strength isn’t measured
By lifting prodigious weight
Or how many foes
You’ve sent to meet their fate
Strength is measured by
What you leave in your wake
What you helped grow
What you didn’t break
True strength is the courage
Not to act but to think
Just because you thought
Doesn’t make you weak

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.