JORDAN STRAFER
L’AMOUR
NOVEMBER 20, 2026 – JANUARY 17, 2027
The weather changes, and the world
becomes less than it is, as if
it was closing in upon itself. Stark
and grey, the frigid day
begins in inky darkness,
and I look through the bars,
searching for a hint of daylight.
As the cold morning air
meets the fog,
beads of condensation dot the thick,
thick glass.
To be able to walk
once more,
barefoot through grass,
feel the morning dew
tickle my nimble feet,
The warmth of the sun
moving across me and
enveloping me.
I am here but I am not,
I muse to myself as
I lay back
upon my bed
and close my eyes
against another day.
From “Prison Morning” in
Melancholy is When I Leave You: Poems By the Wife of a Death Row Prisoner
by Angela Derrick