Creative Commons License

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Shadows and light cast on pillars of a Washington, D.C. building
Photo by Zach Camp on Unsplash

many courts are without ears

hollow spaces dominate where benches, case dockets, and law manipulation complemented judicial ruse

halls of injustice (justice to some) now void of eclectic inner workings, living or inanimate

a lonely shell where dust and eldritch stillness reigns

many prisons fare no better

yards wrested by the wild

cells once concealing bodies now welcomes greens through unhindered fissures

this is no longer a reasonable career; boondoggle has become it

oh those fateful times when the people’s rage

set forth a chain of events …

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Ennis Patterson is a writer incarcerated in Ohio.