"Another year passes"

The following was written by inmate Mark Paradiso to those adopting dogs from DAWGS in Prison Class No. 13

“Another Year Passes”

You know what the hardest thing is to get used to in prison?

The unrelenting sound of men 24/7.

Men screaming, snoring, grunting, leaving not a moment of silence;

To find in a world of chaos, a little rhyme and reason.

The first month in the system, I didn’t sleep a wink.

I was overwhelmed by the smells and the sights;

Causing a strong riptide, I thought I might sink.

I prayed and prayed for such a small moment in time;

So I could escape to some far corner of my mind;

And pretend this isn’t my reality;

And I’m not 29 years old, and this didn’t just happen to me.

But now as another year has come and went;

It’s because of this program; I’ve had a chance to reflect.

Inmates who didn’t see a future without a loss;

And may have always tried to win, no matter what the cost.

Inmates who had a problem with someone in their sights,

Resolved to violence to settle that gripe.

Or an inmate whose mind was not of sound state;

Just simply made a 5-minute mistake.

But now we must have a common goal;

To save one of man’s best friends, who came from our very same world.

But the difference is, like a child they have an innocent soul;

They know not how they were forgotten for however long.

And, for that reason alone, as a team, we must stay strong.

It may feel like we have been stripped of our humanity.

But it would benefit them to learn some humility.

Because a wise man once told me;

“That dog sees not a felon,

Instead … safety, security, and most of all a companion.”

I speak only from my own experience.

And it’s all true in a sense;

That the dogs taught me, life is about a compromise;

And you should look at them, and stop feeling victimized.

The pivotal moment of revelation, came from a dog named “Lance”;

Who was riddled with disease; no longer a job, but a mission.

To apply what I had learned, was His only chance.

So before the downs, stays, waits, or even sits;

He needed to be nursed back to health for a bit.

And the greatest reward when he was no longer too far gone;

He would reciprocate, when I felt helpless, trying to get me to play;

Dog talk for “Come on Buddy; what’s wrong?”

People go through life gearing up for the big moments;

And likewise, steel ourselves for the blows,

Which in life is just another component.

We see big things coming and prepare ourselves,

For lead roles in our own personal dramas;

It makes us feel better, stronger and maybe even calmer.

Of course, we are missing the moments in between;

Which, in the act of life are just the little scenes.

The day-to-day life is what it is.

Nothing to celebrate, just tasks to perform … feeding, training, bathing, brushing;

But that’s where the power of what we do here lives.

I’m convinced these are the moments that make or break us;

And the end result is exactly why we should make a fuss.

Because the daily things we do or don’t do,

Will ultimately affect the ones who come home with you.

The ones this program is here to save …

The only ones that we can call brave …

So, I hope that today I have touched your heart;

And when you go with your dog, you know from the very start.

That when your child laughs,

Because that dog who was destined for death;

Is licking him or her on their face.

Or you smile because on your bed beside you;

The one who was damned, has found its own special place.

You always remember that all your future joys have come to be,

Because of someone who once had committed, a felony.

Thank you.