Category: Piece of the Week

by Ishmael, Santa Clara  What’s up, Beat Within? How y’all doing? I would be better but I’m on C-level, which means I can’t socialize or call my family. But how do I move on from stuff? How do I put stuff in the past? See, I don’t really get over stuff. Well, I do, but it takes me a while because I feel like if you do something to me once, how will I know you won’t do it again? You really have to prove to me that you won’t do it again, but I won’t forget it.     

by DaBaby, Marin Someone I look like is my dad and everything and I got my mom’s eyes and smile and I feel sorry to them because they told me every day to be good and change my life, but I never heard them. I was too busy on the street smoking meth with the homies rolling blunts and shhh like that.  I feel bad because they were always there for me, and I appreciate that they are still there when I need them. I never thought I was that person. It feels as if I was in a dream,

by D, Sacramento “We hate so fast and we love too slow.” – Pink  Honestly, I do agree with this week’s quote. It made me think differently because I thought it was normal to hate people. Hatred comes very naturally and easy to most people. Small, simple things can tick you off to hate someone and that hate can last as long as you live. Shoot, nowadays it’s common to hate people that you never even met. When you think about gangs, most the people who despise each other never even saw each other in person, only over social media.

by ChainsGee, Sonoma Well, I would like to start by taking responsibility for treating my wife wrongly during our whole relationship. I have been with her for three plus years and have two beautiful healthy babies. With her I feel like as a man it’s best for me to recognize how wrongly I have treated her. I hope that I won’t do it ever again. I am still with her, and I still love her unconditionally. But the things I have done were things such as being disrespectful, emotionally abusive, and mean. I am honestly thankful that my girl is

by Jose, Santa Clara The sound of owls late at night while we were outside in the village, is music to my ears. It’s soothing to me. It’s very relaxing, the late- night crickets with the owls and cars passing by in the distance on the freeway. I miss those days posting with the team. Most of us are locked up now and most of us are not coming home for a while. Out of my generation, about half of us are locked up. I think about those nights all the time. One more sound that is music to my

by JV, Sacramento Yes, I lie to myself to make me feel better and more confident about myself, and to also benefit myself. And people lie to me all the time, so I don’t really think lying to myself means too much. In certain situations, I am afraid about the truth, for example, to lie to myself afraid to get in trouble or get locked up to save my freedom. It is my fear. I am really not afraid of jail, I am afraid to not see my family, call whenever I want, hug on them, hang with them, and

by Nieto, Santa Clara “Man, be yourself, I’ll hang with you no matter what. You don’t need to lie to be involved with us.” I tell my lil one that all the time.  I can’t stand people who boost they own image. Just be yourself. Like c’mon, we’ve been coming in ‘n out the hall five plus years now. I know if you really done that or not. Just don’t get, why people tell lies just to, what, be cool? It’s actually embarrassing, is what it is.  I could never tell someone something when in reality, I never did it.

by Shane, Sonoma Part of me is mad at the world. Most of me. Maybe all of me. I don’t know. This anger is the only thing that’s ever really told me I have a self, an identity. I’ve heard plenty of people tell me they love me for who I am, make me feel whole and welcomed, welcomed only to be hurt again. When does one say forget it, I’m the cold one now? Well, I have. It’s better than what I was before, a weak and emotionless mentality. But I’m now seeing that I need to find a

by Kealon, Sonoma I should have listened to my dad’s advice and what I thought at the moment was him “nagging.” I wish, and it’s my biggest regret now that I’m in the situation that I’m in, that I should’ve listened to my dad constantly telling me to go to school and further my education and to watch who I associated myself with.  I constantly regret not watching who I called friends or hung around because now I’m locked up because of who I surrounded myself with. Obviously, it’s nobody’s fault for my current dilemma. I take full responsibility for

by ARJ, San Mateo A mistake that I made was chasing money over freedom. I used to think anything is worth the risk for money. Now I realize that all the money in the world can’t buy you freedom. You need to make right decisions so that nobody can ever take your freedom from you.  Money is a great thing to have and it can make you happy, but having to stress if you’re going to get caught or even get killed makes it not worth it for me anymore. Some people might say I’m just not with the “street