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”