Many Trails to Prison

The 'improper' question. "I'm here for a marijuana offense. What did you do?" During my five year prison stay, I listened to other lads vent. Vent and relive what had brought them to that cesspool. I saw men do complete turnarounds after telling of their shameful ways. They did it to themselves. For themselves. All I did was listen. If a man is going to beat himself with his past lunacies, let him go. The more he shares, the clearer his thinking becomes. Let him speak--so that his ears hear the remorse. A cleansing takes place. He sees all that has become of him was self-inflicted. No place to point the guilty finger but right between his own eyes. I saw so much of this--guys coming to their senses. It was always good... And the stories. Some happy, some sad, some brutal. No one tells the story better than the man who pulled the trigger.