Sunday, 11:57 a.m.

Robert Okaji

Robert Okaji

Robert Okaji lives in Indiana. His work has appeared in Only Poems, Big Windows Review, Midwest Zen, Wildness and elsewhere.

 
Shoppers pause in their fulfillment quests.
Plastic pouches, cardboard and glass mark the way.
I stand sweating before the open door,
as snow flutters across the lot. Greyness
everywhere, descending. A man counts down
the minutes till noon, bottles at hand. Two
vintage women argue the merits of merlot.
Bells summon help. I scan the line, pitiless.
No wine before it's time; nothing before
its time. I wipe my brow. The word is law.

Boundaries and Bridges is a collection by incarcerated and unconfined writers from across the U.S. that explores connection and disconnection related to the justice system. This collection is supported by The Learning Inside Out Network (LION), an Alaska-based grassroots group that increases access to quality participation in artistic exchanges for people inside and out of the carceral system.

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