Penthouse No 5 Poem by Ronel O'Reilly

I have been moved
to a new spot...
a new spot on the block
I call it Penthouse no 5

Six months later
and I have arrived
at a place where I feel
safe and comfortable
my acre of heaven

I even started smiling again
finding humour in
every-day prison living

I have friends now...
Janeth, the 23 year old from Peru
caught for drug-trafficing
with her warm smile, sunny personality and
child-like acceptance of everything

And Debbie the psychopath
telling bedtime stories about her endless
adventures on the streets of Greenpoint
robbing gay lovers while they are making
out at 'GraaF se Pool'

Then there is soft-spoken Heather
her endless struggle with drugs and
spending her life mostly in Re-habs

I live on my own now
10 of us - single cells
in a long dim-lit passage
single bed, basin and toilet
my acre of heaven

Penthouse no 5