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72 gotta Be Careful Where ya Plant ya Feet Marvin Mays A member of a writing workshop founded by Hispanic Americans for Progress (HAP) in the New Jersey State Prison, in Trenton, New Jersey, Marvin Mays writes poems portraying the harsh realities that lead to crime and punishment ; this poem (and five other pieces by Mays) was published in Inside/ Out: Voices from New Jersey State Prison, ed. Kal Wagenheim (Livermore, CA: Wingspan Press, 2009). All tears ain’t weeps, all closed eyes ain’t sleep, So ya gotta be careful where ya plant ya feet. Ya homeboy was gleamin,’ riding low and leaning, gettin’ crazy money and his hustle was screaming. Jump in gee, I’m a’gonna teach you how to be A real smooth operator, just like me. Hit you off with a package, showed ya how to move, Ya started clocking crack, not taking ya butt to school. He was ya tutor, mentor, ya first homeboy, the one ya thought was all that and more. Then the bust came down and he wasn’t around, ya screamed for his help, but he couldn’t be found. Now ya feel like hell, cause he won’t go ya bail, word’s on the street that he’s got ya girl. Now ya days are dull, at night ya can’t sleep, ya gotta be careful where ya plant ya feet. ...

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