A Prisoner's Daily Schedule

      Often, when I call on the telephone, or get a letter from someone, they

either ask me what I am doing, or what I did today?  Well, today was a good

day.  Everyday is not.  I got up this morning, waited for 5:00am count to clear,

and then from 5:15am to 6:15am, I did yoga with a class.  I watched the sun

come up, as a struggled to hold my warrior pose, focusing out the window at

the sky.  Its refreshing.  Then, I went to UNICOR, where the factory is closing,

but they had a few last hurrahs before slaming the doors.  Then I went to

work out in the gym, with Bob Harper's BIGGEST LOSERS CD.  My grandson

often asks what did i eat?  For lunch I ate a chicken patty, with a small helping

of carrots, and for dinner, tofu with vegetables and rice, and then later, a

bowl of generic Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.  Today was commissary day

at the Camp- we only go once a week, but I often deprive myself because I

rarely NEED anything after more than 10 years in prison- its always a WANT. 

I went last week and spent 90 bucks, and I really do NOT believe in that. 

I grind hard for a few pennies from book royalty checks, and I am not trying

to give it all back to the feds.  Nope. 

   I have a second job of mopping the kitchen floor five days a week that I

love.  I work alone, after everyone has left the kitchen, and its always peaceful.

I am not institutionalized.  Every old song, the sun rise, a full moon, or a

smell takes me mentally back home, to the life I left.  This is not living- it

seems civilized, but remember, my daughter needs me; my six grandchildren

need me and their quality of life rests in the balance as long as I am here; and

I have a host of friends that are waiting on me to assist them with certain

aspects of their dreams.  I am a master grantwriter, and funding developer!

Today was not wasted.  I do NOT believe in that either.  I write, and write,

and write, and my words seep through the bars and prison steel and concrete

that they have all around me. 

Rhonda Turpin

author, publisher, prisoner

Danbury Prison Camp

March 3, 2015