The Mind or the Trees by Karl Meier

I love the mind, it takes me to places I’ve been and places I can’t go to physically anymore. As I sit and look out at the trees on the far side of my yard I can see the train beyond and it takes me back to those times when myself and best friends would kop that train. In our hearts we knew where it would take us, but in our minds it was the world and adventure ahead. When I look at those trees it takes me back, back to my home in the country. Those lay happy days of summer. To be awaken by a gentle breeze blowing through my bedroom window. The sweet sounds of the early morning birds drifting in that breeze.
Watching those leaves swaying in the wind or to change into magnificent colors in the fall just before their death. They take me back to those lazy walks across fields and through wooded paths with my loving dog.
As I sit here and look across my yard to the woods beyond I can still recall all those travels and adventures of days gone by.

But those days are only dreams of the past. As I sit here in my thoughts my mind begins too clear and my eyes again refuse to focus, my surroundings begin to creep in around me. The metal and brick building again suffocate me. The chain fences and razor wire shred my view. Memories begin to retreat and reality reappears. My head is bowed and heavy my heart, it’s a weight in my chest. I see I am no longer alone but surrounded by a moving multitude of blue. My yard is yard and now belongs to the State and my home is caldron of hate and rage shared with 1800 other strangers. I think I’ll go back home to my bunk for the day. So I shift my tired body and begrudgingly turn my chair around. My four wheels click on the cracked blacktop as I head home.
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Don’t worry my old friends, I’ll be back tomorrow. Until then stay safe in my memories. We may meet again soon I’m sure. There are still adventures and memories to be had, and new ones to make. They can’t keep me in here forever, I hope! Can they?