Skip to main content

I am locked in a box inside a cage with no rage, just sadness

As I peer through tiny holes as we travel on the highway and trees pass my way as the breeze blows leaves sideways and see a glance of what freedom really is.

Am I free on the inside while I’m locked on the inside wishing I was on the outside but was I truly on the outside when I was free?

My mind races by the places leaving blurs of the faces that remain in the same places as they used to be.

How do I deal with what is realy if I still haven’t healed from the mess I had to feel before the cage? So much pain that still reins as the rain drowns out the tears but doesn’t hide me from the fears that carry rage.

So I sit back on this ride but I still hide on the inside what I feel about the pace of the misplaced that already lost this race.

I paste a smile on my face and watch the butterflies give chase and know that one day I will awake and my mind will be at ease and my heart will be at peace then that smile will match my face as my feet set a pace because I will finally be totally free from this place.

📬

These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

📬 Join the Mail Club

Leave a Reply

Receive more inspiring stories and news from incarcerated people around the world.