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A Higher Morality
I. A Moral Revolution Martin Luther King, Jr., at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and facing three centuries of hatred, racism, and oppression, had a powerful message for… More
Pieces of a Dream
Pieces of a DreamSmacking gum, smiling, and wearing atight mini-mini that barely coversthe imagination, she looks like shebelongs in a junior high somewhere—and even that might be a stretch.It’s… More
Learning to Swim
Gary Shively 103443 Powhatan Correctional Center, D7 State Farm, VA 23160 I am sinking. Just like a stone, I am sinking. Coils from the black icy depths pulling me under. My scream is… More
The Secret Place
The flowers of grass open to/ my dull tread tracking/ through the dew of grace, More
Old Letter
On your plain white envelope a handwritten address hints at the personal inside. Long time companion through many transfers and years, you have been worked soft and your stamp… More
Retired from the Game
Retired from the Game“Umm . . . excuse me, miss.” I halted the sensuous stride of the six-feet beauty of a correctional officer.“Yes?” she snapped, pausing with an attitude,… More
A Way of Saying
A Way of SayingIt was a way of sayingtime had stopped, thatlife had been put awaynice & neat inside aspecial place.“A sign of the times," They said.“For the best."It… More
The First O.J. Book
I got the idea for an O.J. Simpson book long before all the others came out. The inspiration came in a flash at three in the morning as I… More
Lepidoptera or Butterflies
Lepidopteraor ButterfliesThere is a blue chair in a room with 60 menIt bears the gravity of a black hole,an inward burning star, drawingall light, all matter toward it.Names flutter… More
A Strangely Fruitful, Frustrating Experience
It is the end of another January. I find myself locked away, facing the most unforgiving punishment any human being could possibly face: the “death penalty.” Consequently, I have… More