‘In Prison Cells: Rondeau for the Falun Gong’ by Bronwen Hudson

In prison cells our aching calls
go nowhere but around the walls,
and bruising hands repress our cries,
replacing truth with frigid lies.

We are the lost. For in these stalls
no life can reach. No thought recalls
the world outside. We fear to die
in prison cells.

In jaws of silence, we are small.
So you who thrive outside these halls:
share our tale and we will rise,
with all eyes aimed at peaceful skies,
from prison cells.

Bronwen Hudson is a poet and student at the University of Vermont. She will graduate in May 2014 and is currently writing an honors thesis on “Poetry as a Complex System.” 

Featured Image: “Tiger Bench” by Zhiping Wang.  This piece depicts a common torture method used to inflict severe, prolonged pain. Bricks are stacked beneath the feet while ropes tying the legs down are pulled tight, bringing the legs to the point of breaking. The artist has given both men an ethereal halo – one bright, one dark and ghostly. The stark difference suggests what might be awaiting both men after this lifetime based on the choices they have made. (en.falunart.org)

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