In the middle of nowhere
The river runs through the deep woods
The grass is greener than I have ever seen
A pond in the middle of five acres
Where the horses and dogs drink together
Chickens run free in the yard in front of
A four bedroom, white house with a large porch swing
Two red barns are in the back. A child’s dream –
So much to do, to explore, learn
A short lived dream –
A living nightmare
Violent nights, broken bottles
Threats of death and suicide
The walls hide our secrets of fights
And blood
The gunshots echo through the woods
All around me
In the stormy night
As dark as my soul.
from Stories From the Inside Out, written in 2015 by a woman incarcerated at a correction center in Northwest Arkansas)