From the mouths of prisoners...

So, one of the groups I run at work is Lyric Discussion. Quite honestly, it's my most favorite group. When they talk, of course. So, I guess sometimes it depends on the make up of the crew. But, I love listening to their points of view and justification and experiences and just whatever comes out of their mouths.

Yesterday was a stellar day. I had 2 fabulous groups of lyrics and I was really excited about it. Just wanted to express 2 of the things that got me thinking. Well really, only one got me thinking, the other one got me laughing.

When I was at Maxey doing a lyric group, we got on the topic of drug dealing. I will never forget the day that dear, precious DeAndre said "Ms. Scott, I'm a drug dealer with morals. I would never sell to kids under the age of 16." I about fell off my chair. A drug dealer with morals? Really. Well, today, I heard it again. Two of the fellas were giving me their definitions for drug dealing being "work" or a job. I conceded to it being work but had to argue on the job front. And, the younger of the two said "I don't sell to anyone under 16. You have to have a line somewhere." I couldn't believe it. Twice in my career have I heard this. When the elder statesmen of the group asked him if asked to see their ID, I had to laugh out loud. Of course, this same young guy is the one who says that his kids need a role model, like Ice-T and later on says that you have to pray with your kids and give them some stability and foundation. Wow. Sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my head around the opinions and ideas that they have floating around in theirs. Which, leads me to my next story. The poignant one for the day, the one that really got me thinking.

Same group, different guys, different lyrics. We got on the topic of homelessness. Of course, some of them have been homeless and lived on the streets. This young kid says that he was "chasing that dope" and all he wanted was $20 to stay high. Said it was so bad he was using water from a mud puddle to put in his needle. Wow. But, we were sharing how homeless, or panhandlers get treated. He shared some of the things he saw and did when begging for money and then he asked if he could ask me how I reacted to people who beg. I told him that I've done several things, including giving someone $20 but mostly, I ignore them. He looked at me, can't think of a word to describe his face (maybe hurt) and he said, "I'd rather have someone tell me no than ignore me." Stopped me in my tracks. Of course, I knew immediately what he meant but I wanted him to share it with the group so I asked. His answer? "If you ignore me, it's like I don't exist. I'm nothing. If you tell me no, or sorry, at least you've acknowledged that you hear me and I'm a person."

I thanked this young man for sharing that and I told him that I was going to consider his words from here on out. Even if it's just how I handle the young kid at Meijer selling candy bars and I wonder to myself, "really, a school trip, how do I know you're not conning me?" I think now, I will take a minute to smile at them and acknoledge them, regardless of what I give or don't give.

Just for those of you who may wonder...lyrics used today were "Dear Mama" by Tupac and "What It's Like" by Everlast.