Creative Commons License

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Silhouette of the Thinker statue with a blue sky background at Rodin Museum, Paris, France
Photo by Mesamong on iStock

I sit in contemplation, reflecting on my present situation,

which is many years of incarceration, after my total disregard for the rules and regulations …

I’ve had my share of adjudications including a stint

on probation and a couple of parole violations, judicial stipulations and other complications, never living up to society’s expectations or accepting life’s oscillations … I was involved in the participation of an illegal operation, succumbed to many of life’s temptations and the misappropriation of funds … I just might be guilty of the insinuations, allegations, miscalculations, defamations and the things they say I done …

but my newfound motivation is my determination to seek and find an occupation or solid vocation in preparation of stretching my limitations and enforcing the elevation and acceleration of my rehabilitation, with the anticipation of mastering my aspirations and obligations with domination upon my departure from this location …

there are no questions, hesitations or reservations of what must be done in the fortification of my pending liberation … these observations are only the summation of a few clever quotations and word manipulations, but my thoughts and feelings are not simply decorations, they are affirmation that it’s time for sincere calculation without trepidation and no premature celebration, because I’ve known from the day I first stumbled handcuffed into the police station, “I gotta do better than this …”

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.

Walter Hart is a writer incarcerated in California.