An intimate first person non-fiction storytelling experience about incarceration in the United States
FORWARD
I think one of the most challenging aspects off incarceration is coping. Coping with what? Well, that list is long: Coping with your situation, with the realization that your friends were only fair weathered; coping with the fact that even some in family have abandoned you. It’s a common truth and is seldom spoken about.. For those of us enduring lengthy sentences, the journey early on is about struggle and discovery. Some of what’s discovered is very painful.
It has been an interesting day here so far. The staff are running about because something has happened, but I’ll get to that in a bit. I was thinking about what life is like here, specifically what incarceration is like. Not so much the craziness that rules day in and day out, but more about the overall experience.
I think of incarceration as a type of difficult journey. The best analogy I can offer is that it’s probably like experiencing war. In the beginning it’s all about survival, but as time passes you become wiser, more experienced, and more prepared.
Today is Valentines Day. It’s one of the few holidays that actually catches my attention, where I drop down from cruising altitude and switch off the autopilot. I’ve always said that the holidays are like every other day, Ground Hog Day to the extreme but this year is different for me.
Continue reading “Valentines Day 2/14/21: Love, Covid, Life”
I used to wonder about life after death and what lay beyond this reality we call life. When I was 20 years old I had a near death experience after complications with the flu. I kept my experiences from family and never spoke of it because I didn’t think anyone would believe me or understand. For many years I thought my experience was unique, but in fact people have been experiencing NDEs for more than a thousand years.
I don’t imagine you’ve ever thought about love and prison in the same sentence. If they were atomic elements they’d certainly exist as matter and antimatter when considered together.
Felicia said the things us men don’t dare share because these are emotional subjects. You know, mushy stuff. I admire my women friends; there’s strength in being able to speak about feelings.
I too, long wondered if it was possible to find love while in prison. When I was first incarcerated in 1995 I entered prison with a girlfriend in tow. Deep down I knew that it couldn’t work. For months I clung to the relationship, selfishly protecting myself from the inevitable.
Continue reading “Love and Prison…Do They Belong In the Same Sentence? By Christopher Monihan”