The Great Escape

By Matthew Feeney

My facility proudly bans books                                           anything they think may be "bad" or used to facilitate escape.

But they fallaciously include innocent books like Living Off the Grid                         all about solar, geothermal and wind power

I giggle imagining an escaped client                                        running through the woods with a windmill strapped to his back

Books on wilderness survival skills are banned                                        Jack can't teach us how to build a fire

Even certain National Geographics are prohibited                                we all know the joke - but they're serious here

Trying to remind us we're worthless                                   the "worst of the worst"

Keeping us passively caged                                                         banning anything that might promote a better future

     Books incite dreams                      and dreams are dangerous                                                          slipping easily between the bars                 and escaping far, far away from here.

Editor's Note:

Matthew submitted several texts. I was impressed with the care and precision of each of Matthew's submissions. Each examines a different aspect of incarceration, and all of them deserve a wider audience. Later in the series, we will see his work again in the form of a glossary that will run alongside another text by a different author. I chose "The Great Escape" to be the inaugural piece since it roots us inside as we start this month-long journey together. He mentioned that he took college coursework via postal mail, and was able to complete four weeks of assignments in four days during COVID-19 lockdowns when he was in his cell for 23.5 hours every day. Currently, he is looking for a correspondence MFA program to continue his education.