Choosing Our Teams

Larry’s poem “The Divine Team” issues a direct challenge to all of us who read it. Our world is so troubled, he notes, and in dire need of change. All of us can be part of the “divine team” Larry calls for in his poem, taking steps toward changing the world. Are you ready to rise to the challenge?

In “A Word on Teamwork and Judgment,” Noel reminds us that we “cannot go it alone.” Through the use of good judgment, he writes, we can achieve the “trust, positivity, sanity, resolve, and teamwork” to build a community that will support us, both inside and outside of prison.

In his brief essay, Demacian reminds us of the importance of thinking about how we can best serve our teams – not just how they can serve us. As we strive to communicate and work with all kinds of people, he writes, we will “start creating better communities and help build up family structure.”

Richard makes these powerful observations in his essay: "One simple fact is, no one gets through life without teamwork and judgement for good or ill," and "Every moment in life requires judgement from us." He contends that we have to acknowledge that we're always making judgements about the teams we're part of – but also that it's never too late to change teams.

Gary reminds us that--especially without access to the latest technologies--it takes work to develop a support network on the outside. But these are such important resources - people to serve as "guides, advisors, and transition helpers once I am free," in Gary's words.

In this brief essay, Jake prompts us to think about the importance of good critical judgment in a game like football. So much thought goes into this and other games, and so much careful, thoughtful judgment is involved! Sometimes we forget about the importance of good judgment in many parts of our lives, including the games we enjoy.

In this powerful, well-crafted poem, William follows his opening line ("Teamwork makes the dream work") with this emotional punch to the gut: "Too bad mine are all crushed." His poem goes on to share painful and dark memories that plague many people who are incarcerated. It's a poem that raises some hard, honest questions.