Prison Journalism: Don't Let Me Be Unnecessary

Prison Journalism: Don't Let Me Be UnnecessaryJeffrey Shockley is a writer serving a life sentence in the State Correctional Institution-Fayette in Pennsylvania.

by Jeffrey Shockley

03-05-2023 11:54

in Prison Journalism

Jeffrey Shockley is a writer serving a life sentence in the State Correctional Institution-Fayette in Pennsylvania.

Image by Pexels

If we could read the secret history of those we would like to punish, we would find in each life enough grief and suffering to make us stop wishing anything more on them.

source unknown There was a time I'd sit here in this prison space, always a hint or trace of pain that remains from indecisions gained from instability within and uncertainty without.

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My mind fighting a stint of a yesterday that got me here and the possibility of a tomorrow I'm not sure I'll get to see or even want to be in.

As the news views more killings, loss of innocent lives that sparks a rife between Constitutional Rights and plain old common sense, creating more non-sense.

Society tends to offend one and another be it Black or White, rich or poor, we have but one life to give, taking such promise to live why most our children or anyone continue to die?

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ALSO READ: Prison journalism: Like Yesterday

Who can know what all the good Lord has in store, yet we seek ever more our own solutions to everything we're gotten ourselves into but wanting someone else to figure it out, always asking Now what about me?

How can I give back to give honor for the lives lost, the family's cost and the pains that strain even the sincerest gesture of, I'm sorry without giving in too the feigns of the world on this course of doing my own prison time?

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Behind everything that society has been through, carried our ancestor's to, still unsure of what promises that might still someday come true, we strive to survive, keeping hope alive and abide by doing the best we can.

ALSO READ: Prison Journalism: I have the ticket. But after prison, can I still be her Dad?

Under uncontrollable surroundings yet keep some abounding with a chance to change the narrative of what is, was, and even can be 'cause Love can free and remind us, we are alive to help each other, reach each other, teach each other and hold each other up until differences matter no more for there to be no more differences that divide us as we cross such difficulties.

times together, one with another.

Please STOP the Violence Now!

The article was facilitated by Erin Parish from the Human Kindness Foundation (HKF).

The Human Kindness Foundation's mission is to encourage more kindness in the world beginning with people in our prisons and jails.

HKF has published several books including: We're All Doing Time, Lineage and Other Stories, Deep and Simple, and Just Another Spiritual Book and provide these books for free to people currently serving time in prisons or jails.

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