Yesterday was a solo trip to see Alisha. Those drives are filled with corn fields and rage. It’s tradition though at this point; a full range of photos documenting visits over the years, so who am I to not take one even though I felt and looked worse for wear. We had a great long visit despite the car shake downs, the length of wait to process me and the lack of food options in the visitation room vending machines. We talked about relationships and surviving some of them, and fantasized about all the “firsts” to do when she’s free. Our friend is caged for surviving a violent attack on her life. As a matter of fact, all of the women in that visitation room are too. Black, Latinx and cash poor white women, LeLe told me all their stories when we sat down. Their kids ran around them, their partners kept from being too close, card games and (yes, still) banned from the patio; we all shared space and tried our best to ignore the pig behind the desk and melt into the now of our moments with our loved ones.