Joey Smith
Joey's mother contacted me and asked me to write to her sons
Joey and Heath. Joey's letter impressed me so I decided to let you see
what he said in his letter. I feel that he is an intelligent young man
who knows he did wrong. He is real and her seems
to be very nice. The prisoners I have been writing to are real people and
are now good people. Many are innocent and those who are not innocent
seem to accept their responsibility for their crimes.
Many in prison are evil people who should never get out but many are different
people than they were when they went to prison. Prison can make a man worse or
it can make a man realize his mistakes and improve himself. Many of these
men want to help others before they end up in prison.
When they get out the odds are against them. Many will beat those odds.
I think Joey will beat those odds. He is in
This is Joey's letter.
Lee,
I received your letter today at mail call. I must admit, there isn't much
that can tear me away from my art these days. You have just done that.
There are thousands of things running through my mind at this point. You
and I have much in common. I admire everything you have told me about
yourself and unless I miss my guess you and I are going to become great
acquaintances.
I love my mother immensely Lee and if she asked you to write me it's because
she feels we can both benefit from the connection. She is an extremely
insightful person, uneducated but very worldly. An old
loving soul in a young worn out body that may not last much longer.
She's lived a pretty tuff life and I'm the cause of a lot of it.
I'm a simple man Eazy Lee. Not sure I's warrant even a sentence in your
book. I'm outlining your life, you've pretty
much out lived mine. Change a few names and dates. add
a few addictions and prison sentences and we could be the same person. I
love people Lee. I find more to love and compassion for the downtrodden
and unlucky souls than i've ever glimpsed in the wealthy. I'm an addict
though and surrounding myself with people like myself up to this point has caused irreparable damage to my psyche and the lives
of the people who love me. I don't fit in anywhere else though if in fact I've learned to control my addictions then
the only thing that will keep me from being satisfied in my life upon release
is the fact that children had to grow to young adulthood without me. That
can't be changed though and maybe the with time the
scar will diminish.
Your letter mentions putting my story on your web site. I'm not sure what
anyone would see in "my story", Lee. I am a convict two times
over and a hopeless drug addict full of regret, despair and loneliness.
Who would want to share those emotions?
The first thing that really grabs my atention is what you write about helping
young people. If I can give something positive to someone who is headed
down the same path I followed, maybe give them second thoughts, I'll do it in a
heartbeat.
You write about exposure. I'm not in anyway proud of where I am today.
If I could bury the years I've given to this place and never let anyone
know the person I was, I'd do it. I'm lonely though. I don't get
visits or much mail. What would this exposure mean to me?
Your letter did everything opposite of putting me to sleep. It's brought
me to think about a lot of things. I appreciate you honoring my mothers
request and maybe I can, in my own way give to your cause.
I am an artist. Many people around me say I'm really good. I do
work I'm proud of . My soesialty is portraits
though there isn't much I can't do. I sell my work from here which is
not in accordance with TDCJ policy. If They have
their way about my so called rehabilitaion. I will have absolutley
nothing and no one, once I have completed my sentence. Excuse my French
but FUCK THAT. I have a talent and I'm not going to sit in here wasting
away and depending on my grandmother who already takes care of my disabled
mother to send me $. So everyone I come in contact with is a potential
client. You and the CHLS are no exceptions. You speak of exposure.
You have sparked my interest into your cause. We can help each other, you are obviously well connected on the web. Cut and dried it goes like this, I'm lilling to
give a heftu % of any profit I make from advertisement linked to your web site.
I'm not sure how it would work or even if it would. I'm open to
suggestions and very willing to share and swap
ideas.
Don't let my forwardness trouble you. I'd very much like to correspond
with you and to know more about your project. I wish you more luck than
you can imagine and honestly I can see you succeeding. Hell honestly, you
already have. You are content with life. To me that is more wealthy than Anna Nicole and Bill Bates combined!
I'll bring this to a close now Lee with high hopes of hearing from you really
soon. Take care of yourself.
Sincerely
Joey Smith
P.S. If your on the web any time soon
shoot Raven an email and tell her I love her and appreciate her very much!
Write Joey at the following address:
Joey Smith #1029651