Times have been pretty hard lately. Its not because Im in a place where hope is lost. No its because of Im in a place where your forgotten. The times that we are living in today are fueled by so many factors. I dont understand the factors that surround my circumstances. I never thought that I would be in prison and having this deep feeling of worthlessness and this erry sense of abandonment. My time will be over with Insha Allah sooner than later. Just thinking about being back in society is almost like having a dream. Where will I go when its that time? Who do I trust after all of this? Who will be there to help? Staying focused in prison should be something thats simple and yet its so hard. Theres drugs and alcohol and gambling and staying away from all of that is simple for me. Then theres the mental stress you have to defeat. Theres thoughts like the thoughts that are in this letter. This is when being so alone sets in that you feel its you vs. the world. You begin to feel like everyone is against you and you put up walls that may hinder your growth and forward progress. Yes its a process and you just have to believe and know that there will be better days. Days when Ill be able to call my children and talk to them or just wake up the they be under the same roof as I am. Actually go to work and make an income and provide for my children and family if Im blessed with one. Make me something good to eat when Im hungry instead of eating over cooked pasta and stale bread and warm water. If there are people in your lives that you love make sure they know it. Sometimes people dont feel loved and it leads to very bad things. Just a simple “I love you” or ”I miss you” or ”how are you doing” or ”is everythig ok”, goes a long way. We cant hide the way we feel all the time and being in here nobody knows how one truly feels because no one sees the stress and the emotions that are on our sleeves. Its hard to explain sometimes how I feel because I know my words go unheard and unread and looked over. Theres so many people in the world and I just hope that I can make just one persons life a little better by telling my story or by saying whats on my mind. Theres so much more to life then stressing and being alone. Everybody deserves to be happy because theres somebody for everybody. Dont waste your life, stay focused and “keep on pushing”!!! Be safe, have patience, and stay watchful!!!

Mr. Da’Von Joshua Motley Sr. (Abdul-Haleem)
ODRC #707-119
Allen Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 4501
Lima, OH 45802