‘It is prohibited to engage in any activity in this visitors’ centre which may cause offence to other visitors. Anyone violating this rule will have their visit immediately terminated.’
(Sign situated outside of the Visitors’ Centre at Leicester Prison).

She did not appear perturbed by his laconic greeting –
a nod of the head as he formally sat opposite her:
Close, but distant enough to suggest that their relationship was formal.
Yet, their conversation appeared more personal,
albeit cold and detached.

As other couples touched, kissed, and expressed their affections
they inanimately chatted – civil, but without warmth.
They were both managers in serving industries:
Her uniform – black satin leggings and blue tunic,
outlining, but not advertising, a reasonable figure.
His uniform – prison issue striped shirt and stained jeans.

Barely left his teens, yet already considerably thin on top,
his sallow prison features bridged their twenty year age difference.
Any disparity evaporated within the time cell which had brought them together.

Half the allowed visiting time elapsed.
Their bodies clinically closed, their heads bowed onto the other’s shoulder.
He sat motionless as her hand pumped beneath his shirt tails
with increasing vigour.

In less than two minutes it was over.
They briefly laughed in situ, chatted for a few minutes, and then she was gone.
He walked away, still sallow but clearly more relaxed.



***
Apologies, text broken up when uploading. Italics lost etc. Shame. I won't post any more poems as they were created with love and deserve to be properly presented. The above poem is based on what
I witnessed when visiting a friend in prison.

© Wackford, 2008

Hi Wackford.
I don't know. I don't think you should stop writing. Certain people need to here and read the things you write. You are a very interesting person. I've been writing all my life and I don't think I'll ever quit, knowing something of my self will be left behind and that it will last forever. Memories don't last, but writing, pictures, and art will stay. I feel very fortunate and I think you are the same. I'm in a bad way right now, but I think I will keep writing till I die. A lot of bad things happened to me in the last five months, but that's not your problem. Just keep on writing cause I know you are a very interesting person and have a lot to write about. "Don't let the few, outweigh the many". Just one writer to another...Mike

makes me want to read more.

I wrote teasingbrunette a letter and I entered it into her profile. OMG ! It told me she wouldn't receive it cause I am too old for her profile. (How stupid of me not to notice that !) I wrote to her just to let her know that someone out here really cares. I gave her a piece of my heart that I thought she might want to hear, and it's lost forever. I have already given her my prayers for her Mother and her quest to find someone who could take her and be her Knight. I told her I wasn't hitting on her cause that's not my style and that's not why I was writting her. I just wanted to let her know, there is someone out here that "really cares". I'm writting here, hoping that she sees this and to let her know I wrote to her, to wish her well in her quest to find that special person and to give her hope that her Mother makes it through so they can have many, many years of life left to share together. I'm sorry If I offended anyone, truely, from the deapths of my heart. Just to let you know, "I care"....Michael