Someone I know in chains
Hands pressed against the glass
Mouth rising in a smirk that hides all things
Hoodie on, over his durag
Pants sagging slightly
Doesn’t he know how society feels about his hoodie and his sagging pants?
He knows, he doesn’t care.
And in that moment I am so happy to see him
There
Here
So happy that I can’t think to open the door
That hands pressed against the glass is the universal sign to open the door
I only notice that the guard is not there while walking away
And someone else gets up to buzz him in
Because all I offered was a smile
That hides all things
Things time and circumstance never allows us the ability to say
I remember the time I saw him behind a glass screen in an orange jumpsuit
During his stay in Riker’s jail
He told me they framed him, told me he was innocent
They all say that, don’t they?
Don’t we?
I believed him anyway.
Didn’t hurt to be the only person who believed him
Now
When he was in bondage
Maybe it would give him some hope
The world saw a cold criminal
I saw a frightened abandoned boy
Felt the moments I had with him in the little cubby drip on by
Till he placed his fist against the glass
And I did too, as our goodbye
But what I really wanted to do was slip my fingers under the little crevice
And touch his hand
But that might have been too much of
A display of love for the confines of our professional relationship
Me being a young woman
Him being a young man
My supervisor hovering in the distance
Things getting misconstrued as they often do
I didn’t know what he was going back to
When my last sight of him in that courthouse was
Heartbreaking
Hands crossed loosely behind his back
Head cocked to one side
Waiting to be shackled once more
Someone I know in chains.
Not a father, brother or son
Just someone I know
Yet the pain…
