those who have been there will know immediatly, and many who haven't might understand

[bent]

can you hear it? you might need to listen closely. it could be masked by an intentional ruffle of a sheet, or written off as a case of the sniffles, or maybe simply muffled by an itchy wool blanket. yet, it is always there, and always hidden so as not to lose face. after all, this is the den of the wicked, the tough, and the terrible. it is the new home of those deemed unfit for society for now. it is the silent cries, when you listen close, of men who have been judged ad taken from their lives, friends, and loved ones, then put into this unforgivingly hollow place. at night it is hard inside the walls of our captors, laying alone, without our others, wondering if our others are laying alone as well. some of us have but nothing to look forward to upon release, last bridge burned, last coin spent. so there is nothing and no one to leave to, escept a world that went on without us. there are some who have been in this place for so long that this place is becoming them, and all they know. in some instances it seems that this place has become some peoples everything. all logic and codes of conduct that apply in the real world have been erased, taken over by a new set of rules and laws, which in themselves do not apply outside, and which in themselves are no way to become accustomed to living. at the time of this writing i am half done with my time here and have not much left of the will to tally forth and continue my trudge, and when i am done no prizes given to me, no true triumph, just the knowledge i am free, and hopefully, a place to go, where i might have a few friends still, but that is much more than many have to look forward to, and not to mention the knowledge that when i escape my tormentors i have nothing left to pay, no debts owed, and i will walk away a free man, free as a bird.

what a prize those are, indeed. i wish for nothing more than freedom and friends, well maybe a cigarette and a stiff drink.

oh, how sweet it will be.

[bent]

you obviously have no idea