A Poem

Within these walls, this prison, my mind and thoughts run free.

I think of Mom and days gone by, and of what she meant to me.

I wonder how life would have been had she not gone away,

and would I be behind these bars, if she were here today?

How would my life be different?

I've asked a million times, If I could only talk to her,

she might have stopped my crimes.

I'm thankful for the time we had, but she could not have known of the

dark void left in my life in the years since she's been gone.

I needed her and miss her. I love her—for a fact,

But I know my life is different, because of Mom's final act.

R.L. Todd, Idaho