Prisoner Richardson did not want to fall asleep in class, so he paced around the classroom. He seemed a bit agitated.
I didn’t help matters, I told him to sit down.
“I’m exhausted,” he said. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
I wanted to sing his words in the deepest bass voice possible … but I knew better.
“Can I go back to my cell?”
“No,” I said.
He parked his ass in front of my desk. “Then I’m sleeping right here.” His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils pin-pricks. He started nodding.
“I’m giving you a direct order to stay awake.”
“Let me go back,” he said rather passively.
I tried to simplify matters. I said, “I’ll tell you what: give me your itinerary and I’ll write ‘sleeping in class, return to unit’ on it.”
“Fuck no,” he responded. His once heavy eyelids retreated. He didn’t want anything written on his itinerary that would limit his mobility.
“Then do some work.”
A few minutes later he requested a dictionary, knowing damn well my last one was stolen. “I want to look up some words,” he said.
“Then buy your own dictionary,” I said. “They’re hot sellers, second in popularity to the King James Bible.”
He laughed.
Pictured: A hollowed-out dictionary used to smuggle marijuana into the prison.
Note: The pages of a King James Bible make excellent rolling papers.
7 comments:
JR- I've read jewels and cash are also kept that way. What was keeping the dude up and what would you have sung to him?
Even though it makes me sad for you (that you have to "teach" in this context), I can't stop reading the prison stories.
Hope the prison uses Gideon bibles, not only are they free they are printed on heavier bond paper than a regular KJV bible.
Oh what the hell.
I recall Russian soldiers, when they took over our house in the old country, rolling up Pravda.
Apparently, it was of lighter porous quality than Isvestia... There were no Bibles for the Commies in which they rolled up their Mahorka, or tobacco stems.
They would do the same thing in the Gulags, and I find it odd that you could smoke in a Gulag, but not a detention facility in North Anerica!
I'm guessing that it is unwanted extracurricular activity that keeps our young friend up at night. Or maybe just the threat. Nothing like a little unwelcome sodomy to keep one alert. Does he have a room mate that goes by the name of Hobbs? Watch your back has never meant so much. Enjoyed the read.
Good one, Jim. This is probably why I wrote about word defintions~
Never thought about the bible that way, but it does make sense...
Post a Comment