← v7n1, Spring 2008
Poetry · Volume 7, Number 1

Supermax

In Florence‚ Colorado‚ the prisoners

sit glum‚ like superheroes stripped

of their utility belts: no pens permitted

in one’s cell. Night‚ the gates soar open;

secret caves—more heroes stream inside.

In Reading Club the murderers discuss

Miss Havisham on fire as Pip leaps

through the falling rafters‚ failing

to defend her. Together they imagine

one generic gown‚ the flare of lace‚

the wedding cake the last to burn‚

but there are differences the mind holds