Dear Diary,
I woke up to the same coarse, threadbare fabric that barely passes for a uniform. The seams of my shirt are frayed as if they are affected by the disintegration of my spirit. The once-sturdy trousers barely hang tight enough on my thinning frame.
I shuffle along the narrow corridor for the daily routine, painfully aware of the eyes that bore into my shabbily-clad body. I think the guards, with their callous glares, find amusement in the spectacle of my degradation. I think they must mean to humiliate and amplify our vulnerability in this place.
Today, the cold breeze snakes its way through the windows and bites into my exposed skin. I feel every shiver, every tremor, as the inadequate layers fail miserably at providing even a semblance of warmth. The nights are particularly brutal. The chill settles deep into my bones.
I can see the world beyond these prison walls through the rusty bars, and a pang of longing surges through me. I could be warming up by the fire, or I could have turned on the AC if I had been home. But this is home now. This is home.
Arg! The dehumanization I endure.
I yearn for the touch of soft fabric against my skin, for the embrace of warmth. But I'm here. Condemned by the bars that cage me and the clothing on this diminishing form.
I know neither comfort nor solace. I feel forsaken.
I feel powerless, stripped of both dignity and rights.
As I huddle in this corner of my cell, seeking whatever warmth I can find, I can't help but wonder if anyone beyond these walls knows or even cares about how I must be in here.
I feel hungry.