Are there still beautiful birds of various kinds,
Whose song and colorful display delights the mind?
Is the spacious sky still a magnificent blue,
A colossal canvas of awesome art that
Stirs the spiritual within you?
Do the numerous rivers still rush and flow
Throughout mountains and ravines,
Slicing the deserts and softly
Murmuring alongside lush meadows?
Is the moon still a magical lamp,
A comforting light amidst the dark of night,
Setting the mood for stories told at camp?
Are the flowers still infinite,
Decorating the landscapes and perfuming
Homesteads with their lovely scent?
Is the precious grass still green,
A thick and soft carpet so perfect
For picnics and daydreams?
Is the rain still refreshing,
That cool downpour or sprinkle,
Watering and waking the land,
Giving the barren a blessing?
Are the stars, on a moonless night,
So conceited in their constellations,
Spectacular to the sight?
Do cool breezes caress weary souls,
When workers are bone-tired and
Field laborers feel a hundred years old?
Are the snowcapped mountains majestic,
And the ocean waves that crash upon
Sandy beaches ever so fantastic?
Is that wondrous world still out there?
Please tell me that it is,
Because...
There are no windows in solitary confinement.

Malachi Ephraim
Arizona State Prison
Florence, Arizona