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Stones laying in the dirt
Photo by Jillian Wesner

I’m a stone by the wayside
Where I’m stuck while people pass by
Where the sun beats on my head
Where I watch and wait and long
For the passerby going in throng
On their ways to here and there
To see the little stone laying bare
Half buried into the earth
An ordinary rock in the dirt
But they pay no attention
To an unmentionable thing
For I’m just a rigid load, wretched and forlorn
Just a stone by the wayside
There I’m stuck while the world passes by

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.

Bao Vu Nguyen

Bao Vu Nguyen is a writer incarcerated in California.