-John, San Quentin State Prison, CA The point of no return is the door to freedom from accountabilityNothing matters after the pointHowever, it is also the point when everything I do mattersWhen everything I do can’t matter to anyone elseWhen there is no more reason to be kind, be kind stillWhen there is no hope for the future, dream stillWhen there is no chance for changing, try stillWhen there is no love received, love stillWhen there is no expectation to be me, be meWhen there is no need for self-restraint, be calm stillWhen there is no freedom, be free.
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Volume 30.03/04
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 30.03/04
Welcome, Beat Within community, to our latest publication filled with the reflections, opinions, and testimonies of incarcerated youth and adults from around the country. We’re always in awe of the work we’re privileged to publish day in and day out, and this issue is no exception! We have a special guest joining us for this issue’s editorial note, who many of our writers know for his big hair and even bigger brain, Michael Kroll, AKA “Einstein.” Michael has been involved in nearly every aspect of The Beat since its inception, and worked closely with our late founder, David Inocencio,
Continue ReadingLearn from the Past
-Don, San Diego Some people say, “new year, new me,” a new year to do better things. Forget about the past year and go into the new year with things to achieve. Learn from the past year to complete your dreams. Welcome to the new chapter. It’s a new year to become anything you want to be. Actor, poet, rapper. Look back on the past year and cry of laughter. Leave behind the negativity because now you have bigger responsibilities. A different year, a new approach, you can’t go back to non-progressive activities. Wanting to better yourself than the past
Continue ReadingWhat If
-Margucci, San Francisco Grew up in the trenchesAll that shhh had shaped my mindSayin’ momma I’m a listenJust ‘cause I’m locked up doin’ timeKnowin’ I ain’t gone listenI said that shhh the last three timesWhat if shhh was different?Picture livin’ like you whiteImagine you got privilegeAnd two parents that can guideLivin’ in the burbsAin’t gotta watch nobody dieAnd now you can see college‘Cause you ain’t gotta slide‘Cause when you in the trenchesIf you ain’t on ten then you gone dieI’m sorry it’s not differentAnd what if shhh don’t matter?Keep yo’ cards on yo’ chestBe prudent and when approaching matterDo everything
Continue ReadingHow Many Drakes Are There
-Monique, Correctional Facility in St. Gabriel, LA No one told Drake that his life would be interrupted by a thirty year prison sentence. Drake was the same as any young guy who had great potential. However, things changed drastically when he begins to get off track. Drake was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana in a city called Lake Charles. This is on the Northside, which everyone knows as Goo Sport for the hood terminologies. Drake lost his dad at the age of fourteen. So, his only father figure and the only man he knew was taken from him too
Continue ReadingAint No Sunshine
-Frederick, United States Penitentiary Tucson in Tucson, AZ In this series of essays, I wanted to write for those with loved ones in prison, to give them hope that nothing is impossible. Sadly, most want to believe that, but have resolved to accept the sad, “Fact,” that their loved ones in prison are doomed. For them, “There ain’t no sunshine.” So, I’m listening to a special version of the song, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” originally by Bill Withers. This version that I have, however, is the Lido Remix, which is a very cool version of the classic song. I’m using this
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Volume 30.01/02
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 30.01/02
Happy New Year to all you Beat Within readers! Knowing that most of you are separated from your families, we hope you enjoyed the holiday season as best you could. The Beat is so thrilled to start off 2025 in partnership with you again this year. We look forward to inspiring and uplifting each other through in person workshops and also through sharing our written stories with each other in The Beat Within magazine. We can all relate to the experiences of others, maybe on a slightly different level, but it can all contribute to our true understanding and personal
Continue ReadingEnjoying Life
-JS, Sonoma Some people say we live to die, and I agree, but we should live to enjoy and leave this world and life knowing we left a part of us or a mark for people to remember us by. There are people that are going through a lot and may say life is bull shhh, but I think it isn’t because honestly if you think of it, there are others probably going through much worse than we are, which is why I enjoy my life. I know I’m incarcerated, but I still find ways to enjoy life in a
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