upbeat chatter fills the computer lab
four story walk up, prison education floor
drab desk oversees outdated clients
slowly loading software
older than some of the inmates
attempting to facilitate learning
on canteen day
with call-outs for visitation
sick leave
cell-ins
bad attitude is the tone of the day
while I sit representing
the “what if”
a symbol for all those who would strive to be better
the station risers
busting the status quo into tiny hypocritical shards
used to metaphorically shank their past
and be new
fresh into a world that condemns them
turning a blind eye to the progress and prospect
recreating criminal thinking
altering recidivism rates
negatively