The other day I was sitting in my cell, an 8’ x 5’ incasement
of steel, passing the time by watching pigeons walk up and
down the tier. Pigeons are ever-present in the cell block of the
Maryland Penitentiary, a granite structure that is over 175 years
old and sports green slate floors and five-tier-high cells constructed
of cold plate steel. The floors are faded to a particular
shade of green and stained by human waste, food and pigeon infestation.
My first thought, as I watched these pigeons, was “Now I
know how birds feel, as they sit in their cage and watch people
walk by.” Lately I’ve become that bird. I spend my time peering
out through steel bars, watching as pigeons stroll leisurely up and
down the cell block, looking in at every inmate.
I wondered, “How could a pigeon, an animal designed to
be flying free in the sky, adapt to the conditions in this cell block
of decaying steel?” This delicate denizen must feel the miserable
and often deadly heat of the summer, the bone-chilling and numbing
cold in the winter, the constant clanking sound of the metal
keys against heavy steel doors. Somehow he must sense the boisterous,
24-hour mix of human and (sometimes) inhuman noise,
the lingering acidic smell of drugs and “jump-steady” (a prison
brewed wine), the scent of mildew, sweat and human body odor,
the smell of someone’s mattress burning, and the ever present
putrid odor of garbage and human waste, permeating the crevices
of this massive tomb.
So, for no reason in particular, on a cold, raw and rainy
day, I decided to feed this one pigeon. I dropped a few peanuts
outside my cell and watched as the pigeon pecked feverishly away.
Our meals together went on for several months, as the pigeon
showed up at my cell door everyday looking for a treat.
I couldn’t help but think of the human pain and suffering
this pigeon had seen over the years: the torment that rips at the
very souls of men. My final thought on the subject, as I languished
in this cage was simply, “Is this how man should end up,
watching animals from a cage?”
