I Do a Few Good Things to Stay Gone

Almost a year has passed since the governor marooned me to a living death, granting me clemency from dying but overruling the entire parole board and keeping me here. It gets to me and I long for justice. I long to be free. But I've learned to stay busy and stay gone from my cell. Ever tried to think to the sound of a thousand wailing babies? That is the noise level around this place. The only quiet time is when you are locked in your cell during count times.

But I do a few good things to stay gone. I work recreation. I get to leave the block each day if I choose two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, and two hours in the evenings. I have to go back to the block three times a day for count.

I’m taking a Toast Masters course that teaches me to speak in public, something I never really had a chance to do, having been here now for 32 years. I also take a business course. I am a member of Kairos, a Christian-based group that worships together. I am also a member of Links which is a group of prisoners that do community service. In the ongoing program, we now make hats for the homeless. We also hold charity food sales and donate the money to people in need.

I have to stay hopeful that this time next year I will be home doing the things I had planned had the governor done the right thing. By no means have I settled into this. I'm just trying to stay alive, stay sane, while we wait for the governor to right this wrong.