One of our writers, who has been a regular member of our writinginside group since February of this year, left prison just prior to this week’s circle. We are so proud of her ongoing hard work to heal herself through treatment before she returns to her home community. As a parting gift, she left the following poem asking us to share it with the group:
One last poem
as I prepare to go:
your words like gems
mean more than you’ll ever know.
So goodbye to you, my trusted friends,
people I’m lucky to have met;
my time is at an end
but you, I won’t forget.
From you I’ve learned so much
with all your sweet and funny ways -
you girls have got the touch;
in my heart you will stay.
Don’t cry for me
because I’m gone;
be cheerful and be happy -
soon you’ll see a new day dawn.
I won’t forget your words
or all the things you’ve meant to me.
Let your spirits soar like the birds,
let happiness come to be.
Know I won’t forget you
or your many smiling faces,
but I’ll learn to find new things to do;
I’ll go to new places.
Though we’ll be apart
our memories will last;
you’ll be forever in my heart,
we’ll always have our past.
So, here’s to you
all my friends;
to your own selves be true.
Follow the golden road as it bends -
don’t let life get to you!
ED
Marybeth
Sarah
women’s pathways to prison
They are more likely to be:
* survivors of sexual/physical abuse as children and/or adults
* in their early-to-mid thirties
* convicted of a drug or drug-related crime
* from fragmented/impoverished families involved in the criminal justice system
* individuals with significant substance abuse problems
* individuals with mental health problems
* unmarried mothers of minor children
* high school graduates, but limited in work history or vocational training
* predominantly women of color
We at writinginsideVT are devotees of Covington’s and Bloom’s gender-responsive & trauma-informed approaches to treatment/services in correctional settings. We’ll be bringing you more of their research and philosophy, which nicely parallels the thrust of our program.
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