Written by: Waaaaaah

“Suck it up there boy, you want to be a man you gotta act like a man.” The boy was no where near being a man, he was only four years old and in setting the mouse trap per his fathers instructions he got his fingers caught in the snapping device.

“No, you’re not going to get that toy, you were bad today and bad girls do not get rewarded.” Tears fell from the six year old girl and her face was red.

Tears of joy, tears of pain. Necessary or just an accessory of emotions designed to help manipulate the environment?

In a physical sense it does not take much to make any human cry. Inflict enough pain and the body surrenders to tears, screams and lamentation only followed by unconsciousness or death.

However on an emotional level a young mother holding her newborn infant usually springs forth a welling of tears, tears of joy and happiness.

Stereotypes of the past dictated that men are not supposed to cry once they achieve manhood. Crying was relegated to the weak and feminine side of humanity. Today, as with most stereotypes, this is no longer in play.

Today movies are made for children yet with a language designed for adults. Humor. Good humor. The kind of humor causing an adult to cry and a child to giggle and laugh. Romantic travesties designed to support wetting of eyes. Feel goods. Feel bads. Horror. Holocaust.

Crying while watching a cinematic production, there is indeed a story in this.

***

For those who break the laws and get caught by those enforcing those laws the end result is prison. In Deer Lodge Montana there is a prison. A place of incarceration designed to house and tend to those of society better left locked away.

In this particular prison there was prisoner M-1007. His name in society was Joe Hamilton. His crime committed to ensure his residency was one of murdering an entire family. His reason for the crime is that he chose to kill this family because their home was nice and clean. A home with a white picket Norman Rockwell ‘look’. A home that had a pet dog named Sarge that had once growled and barked at Joe as he walked past the home.

There have been studies done on the minds and activities of murderous people. The minds of sick and twisted killers. Lots of studies. Lots of analysis. For Joe his mind was as hard and free of morality/conscious as any mind could be.

Joe is the kind of fella that could give you the makings of a thin smile and then without hesitation stab you for your pudding. As a result he was kept isolated from the general prison population. He spent his day alone in his cell with only a few hours each week to be out in the yard somewhat close to the others yet not within range of lethality.

Prisons have changed from the old times of the West. Back in the day a horse thief was caught red handed (reins in hand) They were then judged on the spot and quickly a rope was flung over a heavy tree branch and the thief hung.

For those ending up in jail via a more civilized proceeding the conditions were not pleasant. Menial labor. Mental torture. In those day many a man cried. There was no radio, television, there was just the reality of serving time in an unpleasant way.

Joe was lucky. He was lucky because he did not have the ability to kill others anymore. He was lucky his sentence was not the actual death penalty. He also was lucky because modern society deemed he be treated with ‘humanity’ and ‘rights’. Unlike his unlucky victims who now no longer had any rights, Joe was able to live almost a normal life.

His food was fair and free of contaminants such as insects or spit. His clothes were clean His mattress firm. He had flowing water to take a shit or wash his hands. Life was not really that bad.

For entertainment he was able to watch a few channels on the floors common television. And while he was unable to communicate or talk with the other prisoners he was able to watch movies, the weather report, the cartoon channel. Throughout it all, not one tear was ever even close to being emitted.

One day. Just another day, Joe lay in his bed and heard some static coming from outside his cell. Rising up and turning his body around he saw a moving black and white picture being emitted from the television. It was in the middle of the night and all of the other prisoners were asleep, or crying, or masturbating, or whatever it is that a man does while serving time in prison.

The prison guards were not conducting rounds and the prison unit was peaceful.

Joe was perplexed. His ears heard no sound coming the the television yet his mind heard a movie being played. The movie was strangely familiar. In this movie the clarity became clear and clearer.

There was a young girl who looked very familiar. She was a young girl laughing and playing with a German Shepard dog on a green lawn surrounded by a white picket fence. Near her was her brother who was intently trying to get his swing underneath a huge tree to swing even higher.

Prisoner M-1007 felt a tingle of fear, he felt sweat erupting, he knew this movie was of the family he had killed. A movie in clear black and white clarity complete with mind numbing steriophonic sound.

Unable to avert his gaze he watched the family live a wonderful life. The mother baking a pie in the kitchen, the father relaxing from a hard day at work. He saw how life was good, how laughter was powerful.

Then, he saw a dark storm filled with dark clouds form. He saw a demon laughing as it flung a bolt of lightning towards the family. He saw himself…

The next day the guards found the dead body of Joe Hamilton curled up in a ball on the floor. His death face wore a look of etched horror and it was obvious the tears had flown from his face as he cried in horror.

For this prisoner his time was now finished. And for what it’s worth, Joe finally watched a movie that made him cry. Such it is when our minds are more powerful than our deeds.