This is dedicated to Pete Petty, an American Black who served 30 years in prison, since the age of 16, until he was released Dec. 11. 

Today a friend left
a cramped cell after 30 years.
Left food with no taste,
a world with no movement,
no music.
Left other mates who long to follow him.
He lit a candle, a flame of hope
in a tunnel of darkness.

He walked toward the door,
the night air outside fresh and bracing,
his heart filled with thoughts
of his sister’s home-cooked food,
his friends’ welcoming arms waiting.

Watching a friend get out of prison
revives my heart,
awakening my own hope once again
that prisons can be ended,
will be ended one day.

Seeing him hold his freedom
in the palms of his hands
brings me to tears.
We can overcome!

Despite the residual scars,
and the march of time,
we can turn the music back on
and SING.
We won't let them break us.

Two different worlds,
but one sky,
one globe.
Together, we can stand tall,
shouting NO
in the face of injustice.