Steve Mirabal – Poetry

I Believe in…

I believe in things that people
 never even knew existed,
from a code you follow in prison 
to barbwire fences,
to doing shots in Seg,
to the honor pods with fuckin’ window visits.
Some just don’t know
’till they’re thrown into the lion’s den 
and consumed.
I’m that doubt in the back of your mind 
that says:
“Go bang, sell dope, who cares about dying.”
Well I got tired real fuckin’ fast 
of that kinda life.
Now I believe in myself
to do something important
real important.
I don’t know what it is yet,
I lost everything
but the scars are what I kept.
I don’t know why I just fight and fight
I got shot twice,
once in the hand
 and
once in the head 
and didn’t die.
I ask God, like
What am I doing right?
That’s who I believe in.

Steven Mirabal is a growing writer and performer who confronts ideas of life, incarceration, life experience, in its successes and failures. Steven’s raw, honest, and accessible poetry, gives his readers and audience a true depiction of what life is like for a young brown male in the Southwest. Unapologetic and candid, Mirabal allows himself to be vulnerable, open, and creative, while at the same time guiding himself and his readers in a direction towards understanding and healing.

(photo credit: Diahndra Grill)