Page 6 Portland Observe* Thu sday Docemb«t21. 1978
American State Bank
Behind the wall
J uh us D. Snowden 939013
Poetry Editor
Lorry Baker 935021.
O.S.P Correspondent
"The Bank that integration built ”
2737 N.E. Union
282 2216
I
H E LLO FOP CHRISTMAS
by Lorry Baker 935021
SPORT* HOUR
_ ¡
JOE’S PLACE
Met a friend the other day
M ho had come from miles away
Just to simply say. Hello For Christmas
1801 N.E. Alberta
She thought I would not recognize
That same fa m iliar smile, with sparkles in her eves
Flashing out to say. Hello For Christmas
WILL
You seel A prison cell has been my home
And she had become the closest friend I'd known.
In my dream to come and say. Hello f o r Christmas
Peggy Joseph-Graves
Eugene J. Graham 937922
I have found true philosophical
meaning o f Christ Jesus teachings.
The simple things in life are most
meaningful. Love thy neighbor as
thyself for 1 am thy neighbor. I hear
the cry o f love. The ones who cry the
loudest give the least of themselves.
The most valuable things in life can
not be seen So you see as I sit here in
the solitude o f my cell I am not alone
for my faith gives me peace and com
fort. I not only study how to die but
to endure torture, exile and causing
in word, and to give up all things that
are not my own. I have given up all
my body desires and wants before
death takes me o f these haunts. In
the soiiiude o f my cell
Daniel Jones 938957
A
ng as I live I shall remember
Christmas of 1978. Not only will I
spend i in prison but I » ill spend it
locked ir. a cell in Segregation.
I look back at the two other
Christmas’ I've spent as a prisoner
and they seem almost a joyous oc
casion. The sound of my mother's
voice on the phone telling me I'm
loved and all the holidays in the
future we w ill be able to see each
other. 1 haven't been allowed to call
my mother for six months now. It
will be another year before I hear her
voice again.
I tell myself to grow up and stop
feeling sorry for myself. Everyone on
the tier tnes to ease the feeling of
despair by telling jokes and making
fun o f the guards. The Chaplain
passes out Christmas cards to remind
you where you are. You thank him
but feel like salt has been rubbed in a
wound.
What is the purpose behind all
this? They say I ’ m being reformed.
They say this will make me a better
person. They say a lot of things that
don’t make any sense at all. A ll I can
say is that I won't be responsible for
what I am in the future.
Calvin Deadder 940641
Holidays in a penitentiary mean
nothing to a convict, or shall I say at
least for me personally.
This m ight be hard fo r some
people to understand so 1 w ill try to
explain why this is true fo r the
majority o f people doing time here.
For instance, myself. I am doing
65 years and 1 have been locked up
for a year o f that so far.
When I was first put in jail it was
very hard fo r me simply because
everything that my life was about
was taken away from me.
My girl friend, family, car, apart
ment, clothes, friends, money, etc.
etc. The only thing to do to relieve
the pain that any normal person
Tuoa-Thurs 6 X am 6 pm — Fri-Set 630
am-3 30 am — Sun 6:30 am-3:30 pm
BREAKFAST AT ANYTIME
r
DENTAL INSURANCE
is a valuable asset . . .
y o u r h e a lth
and
a p p e a ra n c e
Before we know where the time had gone
It was time f o r her to leave and move along
This friend who came to say. Hello f o r Christmas
NOW OPEN
Z i;
.I K t
. . . U N IO N OR C O M P A N Y
— Ill —
MARIE’S KITCHEN
F*
283-5012
I he New York Life agent in your
community is a good person to
know.
Me talked and talked about many things.
As ! glanced at her three vear wedding ring
On the hand o f my friend, who had come
to say. Hello For Christmas.
Dt >natd Danford 932323
Christmas? I’ ll think o f a lot of
things. I'll think about the meeting I
just had with the parole board and
how they told me 1 have a serious
psychiatric problem and cannot be
considered for release until 1 am over
it. how they told me that no. they
w ouldn't qualify me fo r the one
program that deals with the problem,
h>w they put me in an absolute cross
by refusing to do anything for me
and making sure no one else can. I’ ll
think about 1976 when they did the
same thing. I'll think o f a prisoner in
a I exas hole that read one o f my ar-
licles and wrote, ’ Keep w ritin g ;
someday someone will listen to what
they are doing to us.” I'll think o f a
prisoner in an Ohio hole who was
being transferred because he is a
writer. Keep w ritin g .” his letter
read I’ ll think — wonder — about
how many others are locked into no-
wm positions. I’ ll think o f a society
that thinks they are being protected
by these walls and can’ t understand
they are being endangered by these
walls And I ’ ll th in k about the
prisoner who will walk free today. I
hope he makes it.
lt was very ack ward at the start.
For two people only used to speaking with their heart.
In a letter, on a page. Hello For Christmas
But how do you speak to this angel,
H hen tears start form ing in your eyes.
Do you speak her name in a jo y fu l voice.
Or do you whisper it with a sigh?
The following articles are written
by men serving time in S&l. and the
opinions expressed are o f the in
d ividual w rite r and do not
necessarily reflect those o f the
Behind the W all” staff. O.S.P.
administration, population, or o f the
Portland Observer.
Personal Er Business Insurance
£
— li
To those men w ho are housed
in
O .S .P '•
Is o la tio n
and
S e g re g a tio n U n it (th e h o te l.
Behind the W all" dedicates this
w e ek s c o lu m n to th e m as a
Christmas gift.
YOU FOR ONLY 15<
Days: Sat., Sun., IM o n .
Call: 2 8 8 -8 7 6 8
For more Information
M e had written many letters, time to time
Each had become my treasure
H ith precious words to memorize.
Oregon State Penitentiary is a dismal and lonely place at Christmas time
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As she turned to say goodbye,
She g fte d me with a fa m iliar smile.
Sparkling eyes that would say. Hello For Christmas
I I I M I ’ I I I t I t M i f t It M l< » \
n \ xi I
I I I X I XI I S M l< X M I I I XIXtw
So as I write this poem tonight.
Fresh memories o f my frie n d in sight
i i ho had merely come to say. Hello For Christmas.
XX s II W i l l I VI I t i l l I I I I XII S O I
I t lM I'l I I IX«. X III It I I XIXI I o t t v i s
would feel is to forget.
So over the last year I have con
ditioned my self to do so.
What I am trying to say is that a
man in here goes through so much
pain in mind, with such things as 1
have listed above, that I feel it is
ridiculous to think that he would let
something like Christmas get to him
too much.
Michael Stephens 940611
To be locked up during the Jewish
Holiday, away from my children, my
brothers, my sisters, not being able
to partake in the celebrations, taste
the special foods, drink the wine, not
being able to worship my God at the
side o f my loved ones, not to hear the
songs of praise and devotion, not to
see the flame that burns in remem-
berance of those who died for their
beliefs in Jehovah, singing the trist
fu l chants that make the spirit
strong, not being able to kneel down
in a Holy Place to pray, not being
able to hold my wife, or to comfort
my son and daughter — I am lost.
There are no words to describe the
misery. My heart breaks anew each
morning, and I die with no honor
each night.
” The Angel o f the Lord encamps
around them that trust H im , and
delivers them.”
ail, it is the unforgiveable offense of
being a minority. Secondly, 1 did not
pay my lawyer more money for my
representation than the D. A. did for
my conviction. So people, listen well,
if you are traveling, and your jour
ney takes you through Oregon, pull
over and stop before you enter this
State o f judicial perversion and think
o f your family, or if they are with
you, look at them, hug (hem, and
love them all. for it may be the last
time for a long time that you can en
joy a simple little m om ent. . .
C om e in ut yo u r c o n v e n ie n c e
PARK FREE A n y Park n Shop lo t
HOURS
H **r«ditx » 4 W a r n
S a i of (lax H W a r n
Dr. Jeffrey BRADY,
l o t p rvi
l« l p m
Dentist
«. XX 11(11 IX X X X IIIII I X | I ' l l K I I X X I* O K I M I X
I XKI t I I X X IO K l O Z X l i r i l M i K l l t l i x l I \ l l ( XXI I
EXODUS
m
f u / a f / n / i / a tu J - J t r a / m e n / f ' r a / f t
1518 NE KILLINGSWORTH
PORTLAND. OREGON 9721 1
284 7997
Happy Holiday Season —
but remember:
Konrad Garcia 940261
I ’ m in the building and I sit in cell
315. I've just finished my breakfast
and my syrup bath — meaning — the
guard that just gave me my tray,
spilled syrup all over my bars,
traystand. my leg and foot, and my
letters. 1 brought it to his attention
that I didn't really appreciate that
and none other was his response, ex
cept, "so f— ing w hat." After he
proved the presence o f his
e m o tio n a lly unstable attitu d e , I
decided not to ask if 1 was the one
who had to clean it up. So after the
tedious job o f cleaning the sticky
mess o ff me and my property, I lay
back and think of all the joy-filled
Christmas’ I ’ ve lived in the past.
There arc so many special little
moments that I, and I ’ m sure others
have taken advantage of, and may
have even thought they were boring
Oh, how I wish I could live one of
those special little "boring" moments
now, or even if I could watch my kid
playing with his new toys or ride his
bike, or even just contently sit and
eat his candy
It is very painful to think that I am
eighteen years old and in the
inhumane clutches o f the Oregon
judicial system serving a 100 year
sentence with a possible parole date
430 to 720 months away. My crime?
What is my crime? you say. First of
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DRANK FOR HAPPINESS AND BECAME UNHAPPY
DRANK FOR JOY AND BECAME MISERABLE
DRANK FOR SOCIABILITY AND BECAME ARGUMENTATIVE
DRANK FOR SOPHISTICATION AND BECAME OBNOXIOUS
DRANK FOR FRIENDSHIP AND MADE ENEMIES
DRANK FOR FREEDOM AND BECAME SLAVES
DRANK FOR STRENGTH AND FELT WEAK
DRANK FOR BRAVERY AND BECAME AFRAID
DRANK FOR CONFIDENCE AND BECAME DOUBTFUL
DRANK TO MAKE CONVERSATION EASIER AND SLURRED OUR SPEECH
DRANK TO FORGET AND WERE FOREVER HAUNTED
DRANK FOR RELAXATION AND GOT THE SHAKES
DRANK TO ERASE PROBLEMS AND SA W THEM MULTIPLY
DRANK FOR SLEEP AND AWOKE W ITHO UT REST
DRANK FOR MEDICINAL AND ACQUIRED HEALTH PROBLEMS
DRANK TO FEEL HEAVENLY AND ENDED UP FEELING LIKE HELL
DRANK TO COPE W ITH LIFE AND INVITED DEATH
EXODUS DAY TREATMENT
1223 N.E. Alberta
Portland, Oregon
284-1247