JARVIS BEACH
Jill Charles

At Jarvis Beach
I sit on a crest of black rocks
Like a beached mermaid
Watching the blue horizon.
The wind lashes my hair.
Zebra mussel shells
Prick my toes
Like white shivs.
Still I step
Into the fierce cold tide.
Each wave slaps my feet
With silt and shadowy seaweed.
Ribbons of oil
Snake across the blue
Like tears of closed factories.
The lake is not clean or safe.
Neither am I,
But nature draws me back.

MY NAME IS JAIL
Jerry Hall

Hello my name is jail
I’m found throughout the world with supreme clientele
For reservations, you need no fees
I’ve housed well-known members of society
My name alone is the opposite of home
Your name becomes a number, even if well known
I’m known by plenty of names when they mention me
The Joint, the Big House, and Penitentiary
I’m also known as the Tank and the Can

I’m a successful establishment for murder and greed
I’ve broken the strongest men down to their knees
If you commit a crime
You’re welcome anytime
I call it a minisuite, it’s really a 6’ × 9’
I’ll give you exactly what you need, no more
You’ll have everything you need once behind my door
But suicide is performed even by those who think they’re so hardcore

So keep up the good work; you’re the ones that are fools
I employ lots of people and am preferred over schools
Everything you do is done when you’re told
I play a major part when people say the world is cold
Also residing here are pimps, pushers, molesters, and creeps
I’ll tell you when to eat, bathe, socialize, and speak
All because you couldn’t behave
You might leave here heading straight to your grave
Once inside you’ll turn into a modern-day slave

I’ve been turned into a Fortune 500 company, with private investors buying
my stock
I love taking inner-city kids off the block
The more you visit, your stay gets longer
Your mail starts to fade as you become a goner
There are commissary sheets, but you’ll never see your cash
When visited you’ll remain behind my thick glass
Oh wait, my bad, I’ve made a mistake
You can have a contact visit when you go downstate
I’m not that bad, I’ll let you hold your kid
But add time if you’re out of line and increase your bid
Matter of fact, you can hit the yard for a stroll
Probation or parole, man, I really love those

I’ll turn friends into enemies, bringing tension and beef
I find it humorous the way you display yourself on the streets
I add to your problems, that’s what I “solve” them for
I’m designed for you to come back through my revolving doors
I love to see you come back, greeting you with a hug
I’m associated with alcohol, violence, and drugs
Some rebelled against me and started riots
I have a special place for those to keep them quiet
I guarantee you’ll cry as life passes you by
Your kids turning full-grown, when you left they were knee-high

My name is jail; my doors are open 24-7
You need no money, just time to check in
First off, I thank alcohol for that hit and run
Much respect to violence for you carrying a gun
And my main man, drugs, you in the house, no doubt
I’m easy to get into, but hard to get out

My name is jail!