Meg Freer

On Prison Walls

“Yard”, July 15, 2016, digital photograph

On Prison Walls

Do Not use when Hot water is pluged [sic] in

DON’T PLug TOASTER AND MicROWAVE “In” THiS ↓

Do Not Drain Excessive Liquid into Garbage Can

HELL’s going with you,

write it on your back.

all this will fade to BlacK

EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY !!!

EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY!

UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS

WILL BE ESCORTED

OFF THE PROPERTY

Dead or Dead

WANted

NOT Dangerous

Reward

$90.00

Wanted

      $

Reward

1 Salmon

Gee Double OH eF!

Rat’s [sic] “R” kooL

Canteen Mailbox

Canteen Balances

Savings to Current Transfers

PSYCHOLOGY REQUESTS

(NON-URGENT)

ON JUNE 4TH YOU MADE

A MISTAKE. WE WERE READY

TO NEGOTIATE. YOU WEREN’T.

GODSPEED OLD GIRL,

YOU SERVED US

WELL …

 “KEEPER of the Hold”

IT HAS BEEN A SLICE!

ADMISSION

DISCHARGE

CAUTION

NON-POTABLE WATER

DO NOT DRINK

CARPENTER SHOP

METAL SHOP

SCHOOL

CORCAN CANVAS REPAIR

ONE DAY AT A TIME.

* All text and punctuation comes from walls, signs and posters observed July 15, 2016, Kingston Penitentiary (decommissioned), Canada’s oldest maximum security prison, Kingston, Ontario.

Meg Freer grew up in Montana and went to school in Minnesota and New Jersey, where she later worked in book publishing. She now teaches piano, takes photos and enjoys the outdoors year-round in Ontario. Her photos, poems and prose have been published in journals such as Ruminate, Vallum Contemporary Poetry, Young Ravens Literary Review, Eastern Iowa Review, and Rat’s Ass Review. In 2017 she attended the Summer Literary Seminars in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. Her poems have won awards and have been shortlisted for several contests in both the U.S. and Canada.