9:09 AM

The West Memphis 3

The Paradise Lost documentaries are a haunting trio of films. It’s such a horrifying story of young boys (the victims & the accused) being mistreated by a town full of absolutely terrible, small minded, cruel adults. It’s especially difficult to look at these mug shots & see the boys I grew up with, see myself in them, even. Penniless, strange outcasts, trying desperately to find themselves, to learn & rebel. They were punished so severely for their sweet youthful rebellion. It’s heartbreaking what those children went through, but it’s heartening to see the men the accused have become: smart, humbled, grateful. I think about what they may have become if they had remained in the circumstances they lived in & I think that, because of their ordeal, they’ve become better people than they may have been, but then again, who knows; the life they were born into was stolen from them. It’s inspiring to see how they’ve managed to thrive in the life they ended up living. I wish so much happiness for these three men & their families.