Security

April 29

I am thankful for security, as in law enforcement and incarceration of dangerous criminals. This makes our world a little safer. Even though we may sometimes not appreciate law enforcement, without it, our world would be chaos.

This photo is of a jail from before the civil war on display at the LSU Rural Life Museum. It is the only pre-civil war jail in existence, according to the plaque at the Rural Life Museum. It came from Oak Ridge, Louisiana. The walls of this two celled jail are made of three layers of heart of pine wood set at different angles, and laminated together with thousands of nails. Inside are two cells with metal shackles and chains. The nails used to keep it all together are type B cut nails, which were in use between 1820-1910. The sturdy construction of the walls of the jail prevented outsiders from breaking out their friends with axes or hatchets.

I photographed this because I liked the angled boards on the outside over the vertical boards on the inside, the square nails, the  rustic boards which show their age, and the hint of yellow on the one board. Is that a Roman Numeral III carved inside?

ain’t no jail

ain’t no jail

that could keep a spirit from being free

ain’t no jail

that can shackle or chain the spirit you see

the body may be physically restrained

they may be socially maimed

but if you think

you can control or beat

the spirit out of them

before you blink

before you become bored

their spirit will have soared.

© rt tulley