Delivered to our first group of GED Graduates at Century CI, Feb. 5, 2010

There are things that are worse than prison
With its steel doors and shackles that bind
And that’s the limiting of your vision
By doubts — that can bind and shackle your mind.

Today you’ve earned something much, much more
Than the diploma you’ve received for your shelf
You’ve broken some chains and opened a door
Simply because — you believed in yourself.

You’ve proven that you wanted something enough
To set a goal and then work to reach it
You didn’t quit when the going got tough
That was your own strength —no one could teach it.

That “strength” was always inside of you
But in the past perhaps misdirected
I pray from now on it will carry you
Beyond the walls that were once erected.

Through that open door, beyond the razor wire
That once limited your mobility
Dare to keep dreaming and reaching higher
Only you can limit your mobility.