Someone once said that empty cans rattle the most. Well, I'm far from empty, but do plenty of rattling. Then again, they also say you are what you eat, and I never turned into a vagina. If anything, over time I have turned into somewhat of a dick. Hmmmmm....OK then. Moving right along.
There is some truth to these sayings. If you hang out at the bar, you are either the bartender or a drunk. I would say a 'regular' but they are your biggest drunks. And.....the bartender may be both as well. If you hang out with stoners, it's safe to assume you are either a pothead or the night shift at the snack counter of a local 7-11. For what it's worth, stoners don't really bother me. If you run to the store and leave a houseful of cokeheads, you come back and you've been robbed. Leave the stoners and they will be right where you left them....parked on the couch. They are also low maintenance. Keep peanut butter and jelly, a loaf of bread and some Doritos and you have a gourmet meal to serve.
I struggle some days living here in prison. Not much good goes down back here. Lots of ugly shit. I used to have a smart-ass reply Someone says, "Mike! What's up?" And I reply, "Nothing productive." That gets a laugh. Haha....
But really, I don't want that to be me. So, yes.....I live with criminals and lawbreakers, but I don't want to be consumed by that. Currently I sleep back here, but I live out there. They hold my body behind these walls, but my heart, soul, and spirit roam free.
My daughter carries a large portion of my heart with her. And the others, you know who you are....
Even the Jailbird helps me. Every day I spend hours on art and posts, and this for me is my most productive time. Then you read what I write and say...."this is productive?" I know, terrible isn't it?
Given my other options, yeah, this is productive. As stupid as I may come across in my posts, they are my escape from here. My other options are to gamble, fight, or fuck. Or to make better contacts to continue in a life of crime. Not only is prison not meant to rehabilitate you, it works in the opposite direction. What happens is these guys network. They cut out the middle man, and hone their skills as lawbreakers. So, to the people who get upset when we are offered an education....this is what I would like to say to you.....
Either teach these guys to read or they advance from 8-balls to keys. (For those of you who don't get that, an 8-ball is 3.5 grams of cocaine. A kelo is a little over 1,000 grams.) So, we're talking a huge difference. Without the option of a high school education these dudes are left to the other form of education. The education that does run and operate the prison system. The school of street justice. The thug life. A life of crime. If I chose to be about that life, I have options. Instead of buying dope from a local dealer in my town, I can go meet with the guys who unload it off the docks.
And, you have people who feel like they are untouchable. Like living in a gated community saves you. Not so fast partner. The biggest dope boys...the ones unloading their keys from a shipping container at the docks......well, they live in gated communities. Right next door to you. You wave at them when you head to work. Their kids play with your kids.
A friend told me that someone broke out the window of her car and stole her purse. She was at a school event, in a nice district. You are not safe. Instead, you are in a hot zone. Thugs don't rob the projects, they rob the nice houses where all the good shit is. You think that a gate saves you? That thug grabs a bicycle and a backpack. He may be 14 years old. You see some kid riding home from a friends. But really, that backpack is a toolbox. It carries a crow bar, a mask, a screwdriver, and a gun. He will ride his bike right past that security guard that makes 8 bucks an hour and is having phone sex with his girlfriend. Better yet is when they are working as a team. When the security guard calls his partner and says, "Ms. Jones just left for yoga. She'll be gone for two hours. The place is yours."
What? You didn't think of that? That's what they teach back here. How to step up and advance your level of crime. How to be more efficient. How to work as a team. Yes, you read that right. Many learn how to perfect their life of crime....I can tell you how to avoid them.
Be safe. Be aware. Love your family.
2 comments:
You don't ever come across as "stupid" (really despise that word!)
You're real.
You're honest.
You're making a conscious choice to DO things that are creative and productive.
I think you're doing just fine.
"Keep on truck'in Michael". Most folks have no idea what your present situation Be! Can't fix stupid? Been trying for years... Blue collar says not? Repeat offenders, hmmmm, must be something new? Da saying, ya can take the man out of the country, but, ya can't take the country out of the man. Keep that spirit alive as difficult as it can be and you know that for sure. Pleasure is of no value if not for Pain?
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