“Humans are built to store painful memories as a survival mechanism, like the hard lessons our ancestors learned on the savannah. It is why I remember each of those gut-wrenching slices of life with crystal clarity, but not one birthday
“Grievances have been launched, arguments have been made, but no reprieve has been granted. The Pennsylvania prison system does not care about health issues, only that the punishment is extreme and insufferable.”
“To deny a man his home and family is to deny him his livelihood. Only a baseborn tyrant with a heart steeped in hate could employ these tactics day after day and still somehow find enough self-respect to sleep restfully.
“People don’t just spin the yard, they really spin the yard — it’s their therapy.”
”Each second that passes, I walk several miles within.”
“Now is the time for non-black individuals–who say they aren’t racist, who say they didn’t know–to come out of the shadows, open their mouths, and take the initiative to learn, know, and be a part of the change that’s too
“Being housed on CM indefinitely based solely on false reports, records, and documents of fascist, racist, and sadist overseers and staff, backed by a fascist, sadist, racist Department of Cruelty that grants them guaranteed unlimited impunity.”
“Momma, do you forgive me for the thing’s that I’ve done? Momma, please forgive me and let it be known I’m your son The thing’s I used to do, is the reason’s why you stressed But with you I changed my life, everyday
Artwork from an incarcerated artist
“If, like me, you were victimized psychologically or physically as a child, you are all too aware of how such abuse in early childhood development wreaks widespread havoc in a person’s life.”
Blending reality and imagination, Ahmed writes a short story about running into an old friend and hero of his—himself. Ahmed explores his hopes and dreams as an immigrant, his transformation into a writer while incarcerated, and his fierce confrontation with
This stuff is never easy to talk about. However, if we manage to save just one life, then relieving any discomfort will most certainly be worth it.