Cellmates Poem by Mary Champion

Imprisoned behind barricades of forgetfulness
you will find everything that she ever was -
the less than eager schoolgirl
who couldn't wait to go out into the world;
the liberated young woman who found a job she loved,
a job at which she excelled.
She rose to heights none of her school-teachers would
have predicted.

You will find a radiant bride
being joined in holy matrimony
to a man she could never have imagined even meeting
never mind falling in love with.

You will hear the music she enjoyed,
note the books she read so avidly,
the hobbies that fulfilled her spare time.

You will see the busy mother
who made compromises so that her children
could know the security she had enjoyed at their age.



imprisoned alongside these vital creatures:
the middle-aged woman
who restarted her career and rose a little higher;
the doting grandmother who could not believe
such love existed;
the widow who grappled with life alone and won.

You will find the loyal friend,
the caring neighbour,
the dedicated volunteer
and Corrie's greatest fan.

And then…

But we will not dwell on this,
for it was here that the barricades
began to come down.