Daughter,

This path you have taken
I can’t understand.

Did I fail as a parent?
Why did you let go of my hand?

I search for reasons. The struggle is real.
Sad and confused is how I feel.

Did I not try to guide you as best I could?
Now you must find your own path
and only you should.

Life is full of struggles and choices,
both good and bad.
So make good decisions to keep
from ending up sad.

I love you and I’ll probably never understand what went wrong,

But when you’re ready to come back,
I’ll be there like I’ve been all along.

“The Wrong Turn”

By Taylor (FL)

Mommy,

While searching for happiness I took a wrong turn, and now I’m really feeling the burn.

Lost and confused is where I ended up.
There have been so many times I’ve felt like giving up.

I saw your hand reaching out to save me, but my pride kept whispering, “Don’t be such a baby!”

Help is for the weak is what I believed. I refused to let anyone see that side of me.

So I built my walls up and shut everyone out, including you mommy, and for that I’m truly sorry.

I thought I had this all figured out until life chewed me up and spit me out.

Now I’m stuck without a clue, but one thing I am surely certain of is you.

This road I am on will need some repair,
and when it’s time to rebuild I know you’ll be there.

Now and forever we will work together so we can survive the worst of the weather.

Taylor xoxo
15 years old

*The previous was sent to me by a member of an online forum for incarcerated family members. I’m sharing it with you to highlight the pain and struggle families go through. Taylor was 15 years old when sentenced to prison in Florida. Kim is her mother.

I created lettersfromchristopher to draw attention to incarceration in the United States. Please share these posts widely.
—-Christopher