37 and a half to life

My last post was about children, particularly those affected by incarceration. On that note, I wanted to feature another poem written by my husband. It is part of a collection of spoken word poetry he calls 360 Degrees of Thought. Enjoy...  K.A with our oldest in 1993 Our Children Are Our Link to the Future Our children are our links to the future… I said, our children are our links to the future. Small minds doing big time, for believing in fake prophets with slick lines. My truth shines. Do you really want this life of mine? Jewels blind, but look fine blurring the vision of our children that fall behind. I know your kind, sucking blood is your profession; becoming wealthy at the price of our most prized possessions. Check the lesson; the power that you have is the ability to captivate the youth, but instead of speaking truth, three minutes and some seconds free styling in a booth. The damage you cause is having them cemented further in the concepts ...

When someone finds out that my husband is incarcerated there are usually several follow up questions; "how do you do it?, why wait for him?, where is he?, when does he get out?, what about the kids?" The kids are OK, more than OK, great, thriving! One is now married and has her Master's Degree in Education. Another is starting her Senior year of High School, the other three are getting ready for the new school year as a Tenth grader, Third grader and Kindergartener. But it has NOT been easy for sure. I have had to dedicate myself to my family, putting myself second on a regular basis. There have been many sleepless nights, also days filled with conflicting schedules and commitments. Not to mention vacations and weekends spent visiting prison. It takes a lot of planning and sacrifice. We are fortunate though. The support that my family and friends have given us has facilitated our ability to manage (sometimes better than others). Help has come in the form of rides, b...

The Black Lives Matter movement that has emerged as a result of police brutality against black and brown people is nothing new to many. The small world we live in, thanks to the internet and the media, has brought this reality to those who have lived oblivious to the situation until now. Racism is real. My husband has had to endure it his whole life, but more so during his time in prison. I have never had the misfortune of being judged by the color of my skin. I am very 'pale' (as my seven year old likes to say). I have never been racially profiled or followed in a store because most strangers think I'm Italian or Greek, never Puerto Rican... that is, until they hear me speak. I am proud to correct them and furthermore to announce to the world that I am a Black Woman; my ancestors were African, Taino (native) and Spaniard (European). We are one people, and as such, I feel the pain that plagues us when we are discriminated against. Our sons and fathers are dying regardles...

My daughter's wedding has been the grand event of the summer. Several of my family members made their way from NYC, Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia and Chicago. It has been an exciting time, full of nostalgia and stories from long ago. I have been filled with pride as everyone admired my beautiful daughter and praised her accomplishments. By all accounts, the past few weeks have been the happiest! But, nothing in life is perfect and neither is my support system. For many years there's been a dark cloud in my life; my dad. Don't get me wrong, I love him very much, but he has always managed to make me feel less than good about my circumstances. Today I have a very good idea about the pain he has felt. The disappointment that has prompted some hurtful comments that I can never un-hear. Almost every Prison Wife I have ever met has a story of a friend or family member who opposes her choice to wait or stand by her husband (or loved one). Some families have disowned their daughte...