TEENS
By Michael Friend
Hey you! Yea you in front of me reading this. Listen up and listen good. Look
around you and what do you see? Now think about how it would be if you lost all
ability to see those things. Pretty rough huh? No car, no calling on the phone,
no going out for pizza or concerts. Fun things. Now that you have seen what most
third world countries always see, try it again but this time imagine chain
linked fences all around standing 15 to 16 feet high with razor wire strung
along the top. Now picture yourself in a 9 ½’ by 6 ½’ cell with a stainless
steel commode/sink combo, concrete bunk and sliding bar door! Well how do you
like it? Not a very pretty picture is it? How do I know what it’s like, because
I’m here! I see it everyday while you go to the mall, movies or girl/boy
friend’s house. I’m not a common criminal, never have been in this type of
trouble before. The worst I have ever done was a hot check. Oh yea, the bars and
cell? This is not the worst part! I’m on Death Row also. See if I wasn’t, you
might not listen or read on. But I am. For starters, I did graduate from high
school in the top half of my class, scored 31 out of a possible score of 36 on
the pre-ACT. Haven’t taken the S.A.T. yet. Had some technical college in
electronics and computers. I had a truck with a brand new engine, had money, am
from a middle class family, and had lots of friends. Oh I’m sorry, I forgot
something important. I am 20 years old. When I came here, I was 19 and still the
youngest on Death Row! Pretty serious isn’t it? I was a member of the DeQueen
Church of Christ. I am SAVED. But yet, I’m on Death Row. Those who make it here
are hard pressed to get off! One guy has been trying for 18 years, longer than
some of you have been alive! I am white by the way. I played and lettered five
years in football and track. I had a chance to be a manger of McDonalds and am
supposed to be in the army right now. The bad part is this could have been
avoided by sticking with the teaching of Christ’s and God’s laws. I can’t blame
anyone for my troubles, even though there are three more involved. Two are 19,
and one is 16. At the time, we were 19, 18, 18, 15. I’m the only one to get
death by injection. One plea bargains for life without parole, one went to trial
and got life without parole, and the other is too young to receive the death
sentence. All of us come from sometime stable families, but yet had almost
everything we wanted.
In closing, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, or if you have money (Scharmel
Burnett of Little Rock is an example), you can fall just like those who make
crime their life. Please follow the straight path for it leads to God, while the
easy path leads to Satan and his hell. For being a Christian is harder than it
seems but it is worth the final reward.
By the grace of God, Michael Friend is not on death row now, but continues
to serve out a life sentence. His address is Michael Friend, #104152, 2501 State
Farm Road, Tucker, AR 72168.