Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingMonth: July 2019
Ed Note 24.31/32
We would like to welcome you readers to yet another fantastic double edition, 24.31/32, of the one and only The Beat Within! Once again we bring you the powerful OT, who truly plays a role in helping us put this publication together. We are grateful for his immense commitment to The Beat Within, as much as we are to you readers and writers who step up to share your stories and art. As most of you know, there is plenty of great writing to be read in this latest issue so have at it, but allow yourself to start with
Continue ReadingA Moment Alone with Steve
Angel Delara The hard wood of the bench is uncomfortable. It feels unforgiving beneath my butt as I sit there, slouched forward so that my lower back is pressed against the gray, cement wall. On either side of me, my palms are flat on the seat, while my fingers are curled over its edge, gripping it not too tightly. Affixed to the wall above me there is a metal box with a metal cord attached to a large, plastic receiver. A phone. A sad, sad reminder to me of my brother Steve. I feel like I let him down. 323 – 335…
Continue ReadingWalking Away
by Michael Mackey Walking away may at times be one essential way for having a wise life, but on the other hand it may not be, depending on what it was you walked away from. Sometimes walking away is the path to freedom. Walking away from the hopes, the fears, the pain, the past, and the stories that have a hold on us, allows us to quiet our own minds, and open our hearts in a positive manner. Never be scared, or have too much pride to walk away, trust and believe that with the courage you have within you,
Continue ReadingIf I Could Talk To My Twelve Year Old Self
by Dylan If I could talk to my 12 year old self, I would say, “hey, your journey is just beginning. I want to tell you that the shhh you went through isn’t your fault at all! I can say the tears ain’t over yet, but the hurt is. You’re lucky! All the stuff you went through, the years of violence and abuse…the ignorance when your parents said you weren’t worth it. I can say that you are not what your parents thought you would grow up to be. Riding in the back of the CPS (Child Protective Services) car
Continue ReadingVolume 24.29/30
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 24.29/30
Greetings friends! It has been some time since we had our ol’ friend and colleague, OT, write the editorial note and this week he truly doesn’t disappoint, as he steps up to share a few words. It is truly an honor to have OT back in the pages of the ed note. If you didn’t know, he supports the work day in and day out, helping with editing, typing, writing responses and intros to the various pieces, as well as doing the Spanish translations. We have known OT for many years, since he was a youth in juvenile hall, writing
Continue ReadingMy Challenging Decision
by Luis A decision that was incredibly challenging for me was one time in my life in the seventh grade. I had class with my friend and he was playing Clash of Clans during class and he was sagging his pants and had a knife on him. It was visible on his pocket and once my teacher caught him using his phone, she not just saw his phone, she also saw the knife and he immediately panicked and went to the school phone to call the principal. My friend told me to hold onto the knife, so he wouldn’t get
Continue ReadingI Will Tell You What’s Hard
by Bryan Wu It’s hard to describe the who, what, and why’s of how we feel at times. Especially when we’ve become accustomed to living in such a dishonest way for so long. Even we start to believe our own lies. Our greatest emotional fears become realities and it seems the more we attempt to avoid these “things,” the more evident and realistic they become. Until we become aware, recognize, and nurture these feelings we have, we will be unable to release ourselves from the confining ropes of negativity, knotted within our minds. As I sat there pretending to watch
Continue ReadingSecond Chance
by Dago I was given a second chance and quickly messed it up. I didn’t learn from my mistake — the mistake of riding around with guns while risking my freedom, either for the protection of myself or my folks. The judge and the rest of the world think of us as bad people trying to hurt others, but that’s really not the case. We continue doing the same things any normal person would do, such as going out to eat with friends, or going out to places around town. But we always decide to put our second chances at risk by
Continue Reading