by Torrey Thomas, San Quentin State Prison, CA
I am doing great and as always thank you for giving all incarcerated people a chance to have our voices heard on such an amazing platform. As I write this letter on April 5th, I am currently in “the Hole”. I’m waiting on my transfer that should happen in a couple more days.
As I am aware all inmates in San Quentin who are age 25 and under will leave and go to a prison called Valley State. This is because of a program called Youth Offender Program (YOP). So far I’m transferring with about 20 others that are my age.
I honestly was a little hurt having to leave San Quentin. I definitely wanted to go back to The Beat Within group when things opened back up. I also had an opportunity to go back to the media center and record some of my poems in a podcast called “Ear Hustle.” Not to mention help with the San Quentin Newspaper.
Anyways I heard that in Valley State you will get a tablet and they have over 100 programs, (not The Beat Within though). There’s much I learned in the year I been here. I made some amazing friends free and incarcerated. I met God here. I went to the church every day. I went to bible study and was even an usher in the church. I never was into religion until I got here.
I found my passion here, which is poetry. When I went to “Alive Inside” open mic night event and performed the first poem I ever wrote, “How To Write a Poem,” free and incarcerated people were actually crying. I knew this was my god-giving talent.
Plus, I finally found tools to help myself be a better person in a group called, “No More Tears.”
I met people who just like me, lost and tryin’ to find their way. I learned hurt people hurt people and healed people heal people. There’s not a single soul that I came across they didn’t teach me something. I will always remember the people and the lessons I learned here. I honestly will have to say thank you.
Thank you San Quentin for helping me find myself. So the only way I think to properly say farewell to this historic place is with a poem simply titled, “Goodbye San Quentin.” I hope you enjoy it.