The Battle


Where are you Father?
I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Do you even know what I’m going through?
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of your wrath.
Iniquity was found; you strayed from my preordained path.
I cried to you Lord, do not send me to a faraway land.
I will be with you my child, to the ends of the Earth my promises are at hand.
Evil is near.
No, it is here.
I am at war with an invisible fear.
I refuse to be sifted as wheat.
I will not accept the enemy’s plan of defeat.
Those iron bars devour more than the streets.
I was sent to a calloused environment where the worst get worse.
A school of criminality.
No respect for piety.
Some seek reform only to be minced in the grinder of misery, no tools necessary.
They say this is hell and the game is heaven.
Beware of their schemes, tricks, lures and leaven.
They consume the poison and are consumed by poison
Too many people to please, God ain’t no tease, don’t leave me, Jesus please!
Though I’m marked like Cain, I think I’m Able
To march through this battle though it may be fatal
You have purpose divine, all part of my intelligent design
I must redeem the time
Be faithful with every dime
How can I shine?
Can the blind lead the blind?
Fight the good fight and contend for the faith.
I can do it by the power of your grace
No room for compromise, staying focused on the prize
Out tomorrow or 51 in the joint
This hope I have, it don’t disappoint
No matter your sentence, it’s not a bullet or the cross
The past is loss; no more need to floss
Look at everything you’ve been through… count the cost
I stand for a cause and that cause is Christ
Whether I’m in prison or the streets I will lift my voice and sing
A great man once said let freedom ring let freedom ring
No escape from the present, past written in stone
Now put on your armor and let’s set the tone!

Biography:

Aaron Olson is incarcerated in Washington State, serving a sentence of 51 years to life. A passionate voice for prison and sentencing reform, Aaron embraces accountability, motivated by a personal relationship with the living God. Imprisoned since age 19, Aaron has undergone an extraordinary transformation. He is a writer, speaker, and co-host of the MADE IN PRISON podcast. His writing has been published in the Seattle Journal of Social Justice, Waging Nonviolence, Plough Christian Magazine, and many others. Follow Aaron on Twitter at MadeInPrison@AaronOlson1986.