‘Unfulfilled Dreams’

By Cincere Knowledge (Jamal Jones)

I’m not an artist, but I did want to create something to the best of my ability that depicts my thought and feelings from being incarcerated for 26 years.

The prison industrial complex does not want individuals to become better versions of themselves. I have experienced this every day since the first day of my incarceration. The system has banned books, which limits me from educating myself. The system has limited my participation not only in being a student but also in being a mentor and peer educator. As a result, I’m constantly fighting to be seen, to be accepted by society. I’m constantly fighting for an opportunity to be human.

My heart bleeds for companionship. It bleeds to be free to love, to experience love beyond incarceration. I’m crying, but I’m crying in the shadows. Prison culture does not allow for men to cry. I’m shedding tears out of one eye because there are two sides of me. The one side feels pain and hurt, the side that is lonely. The other side is the warrior, the side that is determined to liberate himself, to one day be able to fulfill his dreams.