The mule
By B. T.
Incarcerated people 
Prison Poetry 
Jan 18, 2006 
Thoughts are free—even in prison
Sometimes it happened
That I was a mule.
My stubbornness, it seems,
Made me act like a fool
I paid no attention
To any good word.
I kicked and I brayed
I wouldn’t run with the herd.
One day I discovered
In a field all alone
Just how very far
That I’d strayed from my home.
Hungry and tired
And ridden with pests,
I yearned for a pasture
Where I could find rest.
It is many years later
And my goal is in sight.
I no longer struggle
Over what’s wrong or what’s right.
I’m thankful today
Because I’ve found a new start.
I’m no longer mule-headed
Because I think with my heart.
Incarcerated people
Many incarcerated people from all over the United States correspond with Venerable Thubten Chodron and monastics from Sravasti Abbey. They offer great insights into how they are applying the Dharma and striving to be of benefit to themselves and others in even the most difficult of situations.
