"My Eyes Have Seen What My Heart Has Felt" by Cheleta Tuckson

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend February 22, 2019   My Eyes Have Seen What My Heart Has Felt   Cheleta Tuckson

Guilty Guilty Guilty for actions that took my sympathy Shackles around my wrist shackles at my feet Prom and high school graduation these eyes will never see My heart said, Oh well At least you will no longer have to endure your daily home abuse I grew into a woman unbalanced behind those wire fences Recall (3xs) that's all I knew Always committing some illegal offenses straight to the SHU These eyes have seen the bottom of boots, Mace in the face, The heavy blue dress while people watch you 24hrs a day, A lock in a sock, Shall I go on? My heart was always heavy when I constantly placed myself back in the same abuse I thought I would escape I knew I had something in me worth showing the world, but what? Fighting my demons was real tuff A peaceful life didn't feel so ruff I opened my mouth and people was shocked That I could read, count, think, understand, listen, play chess, learn a      trade They started to see my worth My eyes have seen a life the majority would have failed surviving Rape, abuse, homelessness, parent-less, drugs, prison, mental health,      failure My heart became strong enough to finally love myself And I finally looked up to the woman in the mirror            Copyright © 2019 Cheleta Tuckson. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   This poem is published in partnership with Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, an organization based in Washington, DC, that is committed to elevating and amplifying the voices of those directly impacted by the prison system. Through creative writing, job readiness training, and violence prevention outreach, Free Minds assists members, who are incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youths and adults, in realizing their own potential. "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou "Oughta Be a Woman" by June Jordan "How to Triumph Like a Girl" by Ada Limón February Guest Editor: Clint Smith   Thanks to Clint Smith, author of Counting Descent (Write Bloody Publishing, 2016), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month's weekdays. Read a Q&A with Smith about his curatorial approach this week and find out more about our guest editors for the year. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038

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