I’d end up dead or in prison,
That’s what they said.
I never listened.
Kept living the way I was living,
I should’ve listened.
Surrounded by barbed wire,
This prison is no place to be,
Handcuffs and chains weigh on me heavy.
Can’t even look at me
And remember who I used to be.
Like seasons, people change,
Close friends, my woman far gone.
Two decades worth of tears
Span the gap between me and my family,
Pent up energy bouncing off the steel,
No where to go and 
Haunted by memories,
How things used to be.
Living trapped within the torment of 
My own sins and the pain I caused,
Waiting for the day my debt is paid in full.
Then what?
Will anyone notice I’ve been gone for so long?
Supposed to pick up where I left off?
Back in a society where I didn’t fit in?
Everyone said I’d end up dead or in prison.
I kept on living the way I was living,
God knows,
I should’ve listened.

ABOUT THE WRITER. This is our first contribution by Kevin, and I’m glad he found us. WITS writers have been choosing, since we started, to pursue creative endeavors, and continue to put themselves out there. For that, I am very grateful.

Mr. O’Hagan can be contacted at:

Kevin O’Hagan #0647425
Tabor Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131