Beyond Bars: Windows of the World

by Scott Petrie
Yazoo City, MS

How fragile life is on the other side

of that window, so close, yet so so far,

untouchable, unattainable, father, son, each holding

a hand up to the glass that separates each from

their loving touch, worlds separated to protect from

the unseeable enemy, the virus. (As was seen on World

News) Later, that glass window was shattered as was that

Dr’s, father’s, son’s home, as it was destroyed by a

tornado. Lucky for them, they all survived, not so

lucky for the over 58,000 left dead, more than the

entire Vietnam War… think about that… 

Fathers forever gone, never to be husbands, daddies,

grandpas, mothers unconsolable for the loss of husbands,

children, parents, so, so many of life’s future just

erased. Thousands upon thousands dying alone. None, not one

allowed to hold their loved one’s hand to say I love you or

that final goodbye. The very freedom to be able to mourn

now restricted, such basic freedom taken away forever… 

lives captured like that of a prisoner… except yours

is only temporary… mine’s forever… 

I am a prisoner for the rest of my living days… if you

call this living. My mom passed away almost 2 years ago

now, 6-7-2018. As a Federal Inmate you don’t get to go see

them and there was no way she could travel the roughly 2,500

miles to see me. She died in a nursing home, alone, by herself,

I could not say, Mom, I love you, nor could I hold her hand and say goodbye

as she left this most cruel and unforgiving world. Just as so many in society

are suffering now over their loved ones passing because of this virus. Know this,

the suffering never ends for those like me, we never have closure, we never

get to visit our loved one’s grave to say goodbye… consider yourselves lucky…

I listen to all the psycho-babble about separation anxiety, depression, loneliness,

fear, that society out there is experiencing and frankly I have to laugh really!!,

it’s only been like 2 months yet they’re predicting “long-term” psychological damage.

oh and especially to the graduates whom cannot have their graduation get-

togethers, oh-my-god life is just so unfair!! Look at the fathers and

mothers in prison nationwide who miss out on their childrens’ special events

like their graduation day. Yeah, I know we all put ourselves here, but is it

any less cruel than what you’re going through now?

Society just got a short, tiny, bitter taste of what it is like to be

held captive! It’s time that glass window is broken, after all, are

we not all human?? Do we not make mistakes?? Let’s stop

shattering lives and start shattering the barriers so that everyone’s life

means something. If you can’t help shatter the glass maybe you can

at least help

        open the window.