by Mesro Coles El, San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, CA When I hear the phrase “eye on the prize” I think about staying focused on goals. My primary goal now is parole. There are lots of things that keep us away from our goals, including ourselves. I know I have kept myself from my goals repeatedly by behaving in a way that was averse to my goal. Beware of these behaviors! I believe my greatest obstacle is me. I have no harsher critic than myself. I have been the one to tell me I am not worth the
Continue ReadingYear: 2020
Volume 25.41/42
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 25.41/42
We would like to welcome you readers back to another fabulous double dose edition, 25.41/42, of the one and only The Beat Within! There is so much goodness in this latest issue, and we are thrilled that you have taken this moment to read our latest editorial note. We are truly digging this ed note even more, give our dear friend and long-time colleague, OT, is back behind the computer giving us a dose of his truths, with the last issue’s wonderful editorial. What can we say about OT!? Our relationship goes back nearly 20 years. We first met this
Continue ReadingWho Am I?
by Nescia, Los Angeles I’m Nescia, son!Well known savage!Gangbanging is my passion!I wasn’t always like this,my daddy wasn’t around,he was in and out of prison.My brothers were always stuckin their troublesome ways.My momma was always busy,so I would post up on the block.I wanted to be just as gangster as my brothers,so I started banging.I went through a lot of pain till this day but,the barrio was always there for me somehow.People think we have it good but we don’t,deep down inside we are not okay.Gangbanging is not always the way.Homies aren’t loyal and the hood isn’t royal.Sooner or later
Continue ReadingA Letter To My Younger Self
by DS, Missoula, Montana Hey there ten-year-old, I am just going to start this off by saying one thing you should learn right now: you need to stop and think before you do something, and you need to stay out of trouble because where I am is not where you want to be. I would also like to add that you need to watch who you hang out with and who will and will not be getting in trouble, because all these little bits of trouble that you get into make a tumbleweed effect, and it starts to grow and
Continue ReadingAbout Me and My Life
by JB, San Mateo Everyone who knows me calls me JB. Let me tell you about how my life has been for my sixteen years that I’ve been alive. It’s crazy how young I am and all the experiences and struggles I’ve been through. I’m Salvadorian and Guatemalan. I was born at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, CA., but I’ve lived all over the place. I honestly move every year to different houses and apartments. I’m currently located up at Hillcrest (juvenile) in San Mateo for my third time and my last because I’ve got to learn how you
Continue ReadingNo Normal Reaction
by Marlon, San Mateo Celebrating the dead over the living. November 25, I remember the sound of loud arguing vividly, one voice from someone very close to me and another voice from a stranger, the argument went on for a long time. I remember sitting there watching and feeling bored. My big cousin had just stole some man’s belongings. Him and this grown man had began, both getting very heated. “Give me my shhh back, lil bro!” said this grown man. My cousin responded with an evil smirk, as he replied “nah, screw you” and just like that I wasn’t
Continue ReadingEmpathy Is What Will Bring Change
by Dortell Williams With this ethical will, the most important concept I wish to share with the world is that of empathy. Through lived experience, I was extremely apathetic, greedy, and selfish man. Today, more than any other time in my memory, segments of the world, in politics, in corporate settings, and in general society, are mirroring my previous venomous values. Here of late, society seems to be driven deeper and more frequently by conflict, contention and anger. This trio of character liabilities undergirds the worst decision I ever made in my life. A decision I deeply regret ’til this
Continue ReadingWho I Am Now
by Binh Nguyen, California State Prison, Solano in Vacaville, CA After many years of using drugs and committing crimes to avoid dealing with my problems, I’ve had enough. I wasn’t satisfied with the way my life was going. I was tired of living a criminal lifestyle. I was a prisoner in my own distorted thoughts and desperately needed to free myself. CHANGE was a matter of life or death for me. I chose LIFE. Today, I have been clean and sober for three years and seven months. I am living a life in recovery by applying the 12-steps into my
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Volume 25.39/40
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
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