Things That I’ve Learned in Prison

By Ryan Moser — FROM THE INSIDE

Don’t Gamble. Don’t Borrow.

I like sonnets — especially Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus

It’s okay to Hate the decisions I’ve made as long as I still Love myself.

Life inside is dangerous and fragile.

How to fix a broken radio with wax, solder, and a nail file.

Trust no one, even my “friends”.

I don’t like being hit by redneck correctional officers.

If I’m walking to chow at dawn and look up at the sky I may see a shooting star.

A man can adapt to anything.

My biggest fear is losing a parent and not seeing them again.

Dirty basketball on a chain gang court.

I like classical music — especially Dvořák’s Symphony №9 ‘From the New World’.

If I look up at dawn at see a shooting star it can remind me of the beauty in life.

How to fix sneakers with glue, packing tape, and shower slides.

Gangbangers die.

Never give up.

It’s possible to put all of my worldly possessions in a 2'x3'x2' metal footlocker.