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Roman statue of the head of St. John the Baptist
Photo by Peter Chiykowski on Unsplash

with a torn and bleeding heart I smile
this mask that I wear to hide the pain for only a while
the miry clay has thickened beneath my tired feet
from the tears shed during this journey of life
many debts paid
many years sacrificed,

with a torn and bleeding heart I smile
this mask that I wear to hide the pain for only a while
beneath my feet is a long journey in which I feel alone
so many profess to care but the love isn’t shown,

to all the people who’ll hate me after I die
just know that I was only human
I lived and I tried
tried to love
fit in
and no longer hide
bitter by the hurt felt through out my life
choices were made
impulsively strayed
into this mask that I wear that makes me feel safe.

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.

Christopher Reece, also known as Bobo Amin, is a writer incarcerated in Michigan. He has been in prison since 2006.