This poem was originally published in Entropy.

/man·trap/ noun
a room or area used for access control, containing a series of doors that cannot be open at the same time to prevent unauthorized entry as permissioned individuals enter or exit

From inside,
I see them at a distance
through layers of black fence

I snapped this photo as I was leaving Sunday’s March from the White House to the Capitol Building. As the daylight hours, and with them the time for afternoon prayers, waned, this sister stole a quiet spot for some alone time with God. I won’t pretend to know what she prayed for, but these days I find myself reflecting a great deal on the future of our country and praying for the United States, for my friends and their families, for the future of those Americans I don’t know but hope to get to know…