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In Prison
In Prison - Jean Valentine
In Prison
In prison
without being accused
or reach your family
or have a family You have
conscience
heart trouble
asthma
manic-depressive
(we lost the baby)
no meds
no one
no window
black water
nail-scratched walls
your pure face turned away
embarrassed
you
who the earth was for.
first published in The New Yorker 2007, © Jean Valentine 2007, used by permission of the author. Poetry Foundation recording made on 10 July 2007, New York