Mary Ames -- #21692-018

4 Years - Drug Conspiracy

I am 50 years old, serving a 46-month sentence. I was a real estate broker and house builder without a criminal history. This is my first taste of being a prisoner of war and I only hope I can stay whole and keep my sanity throughout this experience of abuse, inhumane treatment and cruelty of every imaginable means.

You can never know what a letter can mean,
'Til you've been where I've been and seen what I've seen.

I live in a world behind four walls
Where nobody sees and nobody calls.

Sometimes I sleep, then wake up alarmed;
Thinking my family and loved ones have all been harmed.

Just dreams, I admit, as I come to my senses,
As I look out the window at chain link fences.

I anxiously await "mail call" each day;
I stand and wait, "None for you", they say.

Not a letter, a note, or even a card.
When nobody write, it makes my time hard.

So, why don't you take this time
To write me a letter.

To you it's not much;
But it makes me feel better.

You can never know what a letter can mean
Til you've been where I've been and seen what I've seen.

_____________________________________________

How can I put in words my deepest thoughts and feelings?
How can the pen I hold tell of the torment in my soul?
How can I make you feel, tough, see, the pain in me?
How can I help you learn not to do as I've done?
I could show you the scars although most are inside, never to be seen on the outside...so
Look in my eyes and you'll see deep within the regrets of the prison that I am still in!

Written by: Mary Ames, incarcerated in 1998 and released in 2000, She will never forget the feelings, loss and pain of the experience. Thank you all for your support and prayers through the years. I will always be here for all of my sisters and brothers I've left behind, you are all in my prayers always!