A poem submitted to Free Verse by Horace Thomas at Salinas Valley State Prison, Soledad, CA 93960. You can find recordings of Thomas reading his work aloud through Prison Radio: https://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/horace-thomas.
Beyond these walls
all that I can see
is a ray of hope
they set me free…
That I can walk out the door
briskly down the street
my heart racing
not skipping a beat…
I can look up and smile
facing the sun
happy in the rain,
life has begun…
Inside these walls
life suddenly stops.
The sorrow and sadness—
your spirit drops…
The mind takes over
running like a reel
pushing you forward
so your fate won’t be sealed…