A visitor and an offender may hold hands as long as
the hands are in plain view of others.
—Department of Corrections and Community
Supervision Visiting Rules
On the Way In the Ritual Is Imposed
We remove shoes for floors
made of concrete and weeping
sweeps a battle cry into siren,
the slaughterhouse bell.
We shuffle through the metal detector
as one dumb animal. We spread. Kneel.
We’ll come out missing parts. This we know. Cough.
