I stood in the blazing sun sweating. The dust flies in my eyes as the SUVs zipped past me.
My shirt, wet and sticking to my bare skin from the sweat mixed with the dew of the early morning. I smiled at the motorists as they raced pass me hoping to soften their hearts into a lift for me. I would put up a thumbs up sign and smile in the hope that one would stop for me. It’s been an hour already and I have another hour to go before I make it to the central prisons.
I stood there sweating profusely. My shirt used to be brown and my beret used to be black. They’ve both succumbed to the sun and changed colors. I know the private vehicles with windows rolled up will not stop for me. I’m too shabby looking to sully their car seats. Some think I’ll steal from them when they give me a lift! So I pray for a pickup where I’ll be crammed with other desperate folks of my ilk!
I make it to the prisons. I go through security. The clanging sound of chains. The jingling sound of keys as doors slam. The cacophony of voices from within the Remand Wing. The cries of agony. Of loneliness. Of men locked up for life. Of the sick. The pungent smell. The bitter laughter of a hopeless man. The cries of the insane as he hits his head against the wall. The angry looks of the man that wants to kill again. The hungry. Frail and dying. We are all locked up. They watch my every single move and I try to figure out what they’re up to.
I subsist on leftovers. I partake in medication meant for the condemned. I’m behind high walls where a man with a rifle looks to make sure those I’m with do not exceed the bounds we set. We hear cars as they whizz by. We recognize the sounds of the sirens of the important people. I’ve known some important people on my life.
In days of yore, when prisons was truly a home for all and sundry. Now they don’t even recognize me when I see them. How soon they forget the difficult times we endured!
I secretly brought them food and medicines at the risk of my life. Did I say my life? My life means nothing to most. I’m with the condemned men. The bad of society. Those we choose to not allow to be free. I’m the forgotten one. The one in the shabby khaki uniform. I take care of the worst of the worst. The best have also passed through my hands in the days of evil; when the mighty never knew when they too will call prison home.
I’m in prison. I’m of the prison. I’m also locked up. I am a father to the prisoner. A counselor to the mentally ill. A comfort to the dying man. A preacher to the hopeless. A law enforcer to the transgressor. You count on me to keep you safe. But you don’t know that I even exist. I’m in prison, of the prison and with prisoners. I’m not a prisoner. I’m your prison guard! Remember me? Spare me a thought.
