College, To A Five Year Old

I remember the penitentiary

I was less than 5
I thought my pops was in college
I thought the other felons were students too

weren’t they taking a break
from their studies to see their families too?

that was a lie
my mother let me believe
until I was ten

I learned abruptly
that college
was something I wouldn’t want
if it meant
I’d never see home again