WORKING HARD
BRACKEN
BY ANN
I move through the sea of men in gray
as they gather in the library for the show.
Posters on the wall encourage reading, working hard.
One man approaches me and offers his hand.
I’m getting out in a few weeks, he tells me. I really need a job.
“What have they taught you in the prison?” I ask.
He shrugs his shoulders. All we have here is GED classes
and I finished them a long time ago.
Our eyes search each other’s faces.
“I’ll pray for you,” is all I can give.
When I ask another man what would have made school meaningful,
he nearly charges at me, raises his hands over his head,
moving them in time with his words.
Nonviolent conflict resolution. They’re teaching us now,
but we needed it a long time ago.
Gyroscope Review 16-4
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