Read

"Room with No View"

Published:
January 9, 2024
February 13, 2020
Read "Room with No View", a poem about freedom.|Read "Room with No View", a poem about freedom.|Read "Room with No View", a poem about freedom.|Read "Room with No View", a poem about freedom.|"Room with No View"

One day walking past I wonder
why there are red bars on the roof.

Until someone tells me
it’s a correctional facility.

And then, ​oh,​ ​I see​, I say
that the cage-like enclosure is their outdoor space.

Chicken wire keeps them perched above Central Park
And a view anyone would kill for, and probably has.

It overlooks Harlem Meer, the peaceful water
and playground noises below.

But down they go to their rooms
with boarded-up windows, barred from the world —

Just inches beyond a door which leads to the
biggest green space in Manhattan.

Would it make a difference, I wonder,
that your room could have an incredible view?

Maybe it’s better not to know.

Creators:
Mary Grace Mangano
Published:
January 9, 2024
February 13, 2020
On a related note...
“The Saint Who Became a Leper”

“The Saint Who Became a Leper”

Josh Noem

Facing the Pandemic as a Single Person

Facing the Pandemic as a Single Person

Grace Carroll

Finding Joy & Healing Through Photography

Finding Joy & Healing Through Photography

Grotto

Finding Beauty in Chicago

Finding Beauty in Chicago

Grotto

Listen to Ancient Music Revived by Technology

Listen to Ancient Music Revived by Technology

Grotto Shares

Build Us A Home: In Appreciation of John Prine

Build Us A Home: In Appreciation of John Prine

Marty Moran

5 Adult-ish Activities to Gather New Friends Together

5 Adult-ish Activities to Gather New Friends Together

Mariah Cressy

How a Week of Prioritizing Kindness Changed Me

How a Week of Prioritizing Kindness Changed Me

Marye Colleen Larme

New Year's Resolutions for a Brighter, Inclusive Future

New Year's Resolutions for a Brighter, Inclusive Future

Grotto

God Sees the Color of My Skin

God Sees the Color of My Skin

Grotto Shares

Keeping Dreamers Dreaming

Keeping Dreamers Dreaming

Grotto

Contemporary Dance: The Beauty of Self-Expression

Contemporary Dance: The Beauty of Self-Expression

Grotto

The Unity Garden is a Sanctuary For All

The Unity Garden is a Sanctuary For All

Grotto

How to Start Praying Daily

How to Start Praying Daily

Carolyn Pirtle

5 Valuable Lessons from ‘The Great British Baking Show’

5 Valuable Lessons from ‘The Great British Baking Show’

Brandy Norton

How to Find and Serve a Cause That Speaks to You

How to Find and Serve a Cause That Speaks to You

Megan Brown Czerwinski

Your Guide to Seeing This Holiday Season in #ABetterLight

Your Guide to Seeing This Holiday Season in #ABetterLight

Grotto

Where to Find Hope During a COVID Christmas

Where to Find Hope During a COVID Christmas

Theresa Sullivan

Pope Francis is Calling Us to Dream Together

Pope Francis is Calling Us to Dream Together

Arlene F. Montevecchio

A Complicated Profession: Life Lessons from 'The Mandalorian'

A Complicated Profession: Life Lessons from 'The Mandalorian'

Eric Clayton

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.