Night yard will be starting soon. Its three-day rotation cycle offers a unique glimpse at the world far beyond the reach of prison politics and rules that oppress what is good in me.
There is a forgotten freedom, a world of wonder and awe I find from seeing the stars, and yes, the moon in the night sky.
Although the walk from “barn” to “block” is short, both in distance and duration, the journey takes me millions of miles away, crossing time by-gone ages, making harsh moments in this beast seem like ancient history; somehow, magically, sifting through my darkest memories … finding contrasting beauty.
The first time I saw snow in prison came
at perhaps my lowest time in life. A steel
door opened … I felt the bite of Mother
Nature’s cold breath against my cheeks.
I saw eight inches of snow laid softly upon the metal
table bolted to the concrete court, that sat
beneath #2 Tower overlooking Death Row.
It now reminds me of the pristine snow that sat on the banks of the Snake River when I was a child ~ such beauty.
The first time I saw flowers in prison was in
’91 ~ my long-awaited walk in general population.
They were sticking out of a 12’ x 20’ mound of
dirt that was sculptued from the earth,
between a chain-linked fence and a mighty
gray wall. It looked like a pin cushion with stems
and blooms of every color imaginable.
Sadly, that particular patchwork of beauty is long since gone … razed by prison politics. But the connection to my days working alongside my father as a landscaper still lives quietly in those forgotten blessings.
Night yard will be starting soon … I look forward to the stars, and yes, the moon in the night sky. I imagine I am with my Mayan ancestors, observing the great cosmos … seeing once again the beauty within the beast. | RM