Front Porch Review
A literary magazine for the young at heart and mind

I am in a prison
in search of nothing.

In here,
no one is guilty
or innocent,
and they can all
guard themselves.

In here,
they all have their space
and their own walls,
and everyone is always
treated the same.

But out there,
everyone wanders,
with no limits or protection,
in random regions,
where they can all be judged.

Out there,
there are no walls,
or designated spaces,
and nothing will treat anything
but itself.

In here,
the bound are fixed,

but out there,
the free are lost.

By Jack Hodil

Jack Hodil is an English major and Creative Writing minor in his senior year at the University of Richmond. He is currently feeling quite terrified of the future, and is planning on working for a year after graduation before applying to a handful of MFA programs. When not writing, he can usually be found avoiding work, battling inanimate objects, purchasing cheap packs of cigarettes with loose change, or watching cage fights with his action figures. His e-mail address: Jack Hodil