“My Life Is The Reason I Write” By Charlton Earle’ Jennings

As a young man before my incarceration I had a lot of misplaced ambition and dreams but my focus was not where it needed to be. I had a lot to learn. Well that changed on July 7, 2000. Although I’ve been incarcerated for some time, I still believe in myself and the abilities that YHWH, gave me. I’ve faced many difficulties during my incarceration, such as constant appeal denials, numerous deaths of beloved family members, SCI transfers, and a prison inside of prisons aka RHU. However, it was during this difficult time of deep self reflection, that I experienced an overwhelming urge to write inspirational poetry to inspire people who may need hope and encouragement. I want to reach the helpless, people who feel stuck within life difficulties. I’ve encountered many people on my journey who were down and out, but for some reason I was able to reach them. When I asked them why, they replied because I am a strong positive person whose still standing after all I’ve been through, even though my message is straight forward at times. This is why I write, because writing is one of my goals, and is when I realized my purpose.

It is not your situation that defines you. It is how you will deal with your situation that defines you, and how you affect the lives of others with your gifts and knowledge. What will your name reflect? What will your legacy be? What will my children and future generations think of me? What can I leave them? What kind of example am I setting? What kind of example do I want to set? These are the questions that I honestly confront myself with. I am not perfect; I’ve made mistakes while growing as a man. But now I am learning from them and continue to press on with my vision of inspiration, which in itself is a feeling of self resurrection and liberation over one’s own short comings that hold us back.