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Irvine Terrell Tatum E20208

troubled to transforme

By: Irvin Terrell Tatum

at Calipatria State Prison

I got into trouble because of my exposure to trauma in the past—

I hid behind feelings of fear and looked for acceptance from others which is why I wore a mask;

No one really knew me on the inside because my moral compass was broken and my soul was damaged—

I developed antisocial personality disorder and my lifestyle became hard to manage;

Selfishness, greed, lack of empathy, and lack of compassion—

I hopped over the neighbors fence to steal plums from their trees, I didn’t think about asking;

As a kid growing up I appeared to be normal like the other kids to ride their bikes—

I was the devious kid out of the bunch who often times snuck out of the house in the middle of the night;

as I got older I became more audacious with criminal intentions – –

Even though I was raised by Christian values, my mind was in the devil's den with devilish ambitions;

I posed a threat to public safety and was a menace to society – –

my mother told me I know who you really are so you don’t even try to lie to me;

I lied and I lied and my mother cried and cried --

She knew that something was definitely troubling me that I tried to hide;

After years of being a thug and the villain, a supernatural force touched my soul—

I wish God would have saved me sooner, not at 42 years old;

God gave me the rehabilitation recipe that I followed until I regained the moral compunction and sanity—

There’s no greater feeling like being in tune with God and serving a positive purpose for humanity;