[cornerstone]


make one bad decision
or follow foolish friends
and train ride ends with
[ time inside the walls ]

hyper little boy in glasses
grew to be prison chaplain
found his niche ministering
[ to guys inside the walls ]

they have watched men die
but won’t cry except when
another sinner is baptized;
[ set free inside the walls ]

we’ve been taken through
frisked before entering gate
blessed to worship too with
[ church inside the walls ]


Melissa hosts poetics at the pub with Johnny Cash singing his Folsom Prison Blues…

22 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Helen's avatar Helen
    Jan 15, 2026 @ 12:09:35

    How wonderfully creatively original, your poem! I cannot imagine life within prison walls, the way you ended each stanza helped make my focus a bit more clear. Great write!!!

    Reply

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