When an individual is incarcerated, it is a constant struggle to find and maintain a sense of self-worth in an environment where we are often treated as "less than", regardless of how much we may have changed for the better. These poems are reflections of my thoughts along the way of my personal journey while navigating the darkness behind these prison walls. They touch on a multitude of topics, including race, love, and life in general through the eyes of a man that has been caught in the clutches of a broken judicial system. One of the biggest misconceptions about people behind bars is that we are all monsters who are incapable of change. This couldn't be further from the truth but because of the mistakes we've made, many of us are denied second chances at life because we are only seen as our crime and not the growth we've experienced since then. Having to endure the loss of loved ones, coupled with inhumane conditions, makes holding onto faith an everyday battle. But despite having taken different paths in life, we once were human too...