In January of 1988, I became part of what I choose to call A Social Experiment. I was sentenced to death and rushed off to death row, where I would spend the next three years of my life. I’m not sure what I expected, but the reality was an experience I have yet to forget thirty-five years later. I’ll spare the details here, although what stands out the most right now is the lack of a view at the natural world, i.e. nature. I was literally encased in concrete and steel. The only reprieve was the rare option to venture to a small courtyard, constructed of the same concrete and steel, where you could see a small postage stamp size patch of sod near a gun tower. In 1991 I had the occasion to observe the outside world through a 7th floor window at the county jail measuring approximately 10” high and 36” in length. What follows is a glorious moment captured in verse.
***
I stood alone,
warm within my room wondering if others could see
the beautiful Old Woman changing her clothes,
and if they felt the passion rise within their hearts ...
at autumn’s end and winter’s start.
Perhaps all they felt was cold,
and worried about icy roads or frozen pipes;
if enough wood had been brought in from the weather
to start a warm fire.
Perhaps they didn't see that woman
standing bare before their eyes.
As the cold wind walked
the dry dead autumn leaves across the lot,
their red, orange, and yellow
slowly disappearing,
I watched the snowflakes
playfully dancing and diving towards the city’s streets, knowing that soon
Mother Nature
would forego her colorful drab November wear,
And don her white winter coat.
And as I thought, and wondered still;
if I could somehow capture this moment of beauty, to save and share, this public display
of such an intimate act:
to put into words
the beauty of that Old Woman,
changing her clothes ...
at autumn's end and winter’s start. | RM